Pieces
by Skinfull
Summary: Set: S7E10 - Merry Fisticuffs. After fighting with Luke in the square, Chris goes home and takes his frustration out on Lorelai. Afterwards, she tries to pick up the pieces and put her life back together without falling apart. Luke & Lorelai pairing for sure, just a super dark beginning.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Anyone who knows my writing will know I'm all about Luke  & Lorelai. But I also like to throw in a healthy helping of angst. Just a little bit of emotional torture. This one is pretty dark to begin with, and it's got Chris / Lorelai pairing. So just warning you. Also note the rating. Consider that a bold **M**.

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Lorelai came home from the inn and tossed her bag and coat onto the back of the couch with a loud sigh. When her sigh wasn't met with any response she paused in the middle of taking her shoes off and listened to the house to see if she could hear anything. The silence and stillness stoked her already bad mood and she sighed again, this time louder. But still there was no response.

She kicked off her shoes towards the couch, and padded into the kitchen in her stockinged feet, resisting the urge to slide in "Risky Business" style across the tiles. At the fridge she pulled out a beer and twisted off the top, tossed that over her shoulder towards the sink as she made her way up stairs to run a bath. Candles lit, music playing, bubbles frothy, Lorelai smiled as she sipped her beer and untied her robe. She dropped it over the closed lid of the toilet then gingerly stepped into the hot water. With a sigh she sank as low as she could and closed her eyes over as she let the sensation of warmth engulf her and wash her stress away.

Chris opened the front door and immediately spotted her stuff by the couch. He hung his coat and scarf up in the hallway and went straight to the kitchen to ice his face. Luke had landed 2 quality punches to either side of his jaw but he was determined not to give him the satisfaction of seeing his bruised face around town for the next week or so. He lay the frozen peas on his jaw and reached for a beer. The anger that drove him to march across the square and confront Luke was still bubbling below the surface, more so now that he had taken more damage than he had handed out. He took a long drink of his beer and made his way upstairs to where he knew Lorelai would be.

She was lying beneath the surface of the water when he opened the door to the bathroom door, almost missing her. He was sitting on the toilet when she emerged her hand brushing her hair back from her face as she sat up. Chris watched as the bubbles cascaded down her chest, over the curve of her breasts to her nipples that just about breached the surface of the water.

"Oh Chris!" she exclaimed when she spotted him sitting there watching her. "You scared me."

"Sorry."

"You ok?" she asked, noticing the slight colouring on his jaw but wasn't sure if it was the dim and flickering candlelight that was causing it.

"Better now," he said, pointedly looking down at her exposed chest. "You been home long?"

"Not sure." she lathered the bubbles against her chest, delighting in how he was watching her hands move so intently.

"You done in there?" he asked as he stood up from the toilet and came closer to the bath.

"You wanna join me?" she slid forward a little and he looked down at the curve of her back, soapy smooth with suds cascading to the water.

"How about you come out and join me," he said as he started to walk backwards towards the bedroom and unbutton his shirt. Lorelai's smile widened and she pulled the bath plug out to release the water then climbed out to follow him. She dried the bubbles off her skin so as to not make a mess but didn't bother with her robe. She entered the bedroom expecting to find him naked on the bed but he was nowhere to be seen.

"Chris?" she called out tentatively as she walked into the room and looked around. He pounced on her as soon as she stepped beyond the door, encircling her from behind and she was delighted to find that he had shed his shirt as his bare chest brushed against her still damp back. His hands circled her waist and gripped her tightly as his mouth plundered her shoulders and neck. He brushed her hair aside to get better access as he propelled her towards the bed.

Lorelai tried to turn in the circle of his arms but he held her tight keeping her back to him as they got to the bed. He pushed her on to the mattress and she fell with a soft squeal. Again she tried to roll over but he grabbed her hip and held her in place as his lips trailed hot kisses down her spine to the curve of her ass. She stretched her hands up and over her head, gripping the duvet in bunched fists as she arched her back and offered her ass up to him. Chris all but growled as he massaged the cheeks she proffered and bit down roughly on the plump skin.

"Gah, easy there Vlad!" she called out as she looked over her shoulder at him but her offered her only a flickering glance before he bit down again on the other cheek, just as hard. "Chris, ow…" she said pointedly. He let his tongue and lips sooth the reddened spot he had just bitten and her protestations faded. His hands pulled her cheeks apart and his tongue dipped into the crevice of her ass circled the rim of her anus then lower still to her entrance. She was slick and wet from her shower and anticipation and he felt her inner muscles throbbing as he plunged his tongue into her. She cried out and he gripped her hips to kneel her up on the mattress to get better access then pulled her cheeks apart again and pressed his flat tongue from her clit to her entrance in quick hard stroke until he felt the first wave of wet pleasure appear.

"Now…" she said into the duvet, her face pressed into the floral pattern as she tried to hold on to what he was offering and make it last as long as she could. "Now Chris, now,"

"Wait…" He stood up behind her and let his fingers replace the motion his tongue was making. She pushed back against his hand, seeking the friction she needed as he pulled on his belt with the other hand and dropped his pants and boxers around his ankles. She looked over her shoulder at the noise of his pants hitting the floor and watched as he stroked himself a few times, his eyes transfixed on his fingers disappearing inside of her and she flexed her inner muscles around them. Chris licked his dry lips then quickly pulled his fingers out.

Lorelai whimpered with need as he stepped closer, gripped her hip with one hand and his cock with the other then brushed his tip against her folds, pressed it around her clit then dragged it to her entrance and with one hard push, buried himself into her. Before she could get used to his presence he pulled out completely then pushed back in. Lorelai gripped the duvet tighter and dropped her shoulders to the bed to offer him the leverage he needed. Chris kept up this furious punishing pace for a while and felt her shudder and convulse beneath him. Her gasping breaths were no salve to his frustration though so he pulled out then lay on the bed next to her. She was limp and soft next to him and he let her be for a moment. But as soon as she lifted her head to look for him he lifted her whole body and pulled her down on top of him. Her hips straddled his shoulders and he pulled her sex down onto his face. He inhaled her scent, as his tongue circled her entrance as his nose nuzzled her clit.

Lorelai cried out and tried to protest but he wrapped one arm around her waist to hold her in place and soon the sensation he was offering her washed over her whole body as she accepted his ministrations She felt her core quivering again but before it could take hold and bring her to the desired release he pushed her down his lap. She squirmed and tried to find his cock to press inside her but he brushed her hands away and instead slipped two fingers into thumb roughly circled her clit and his hand on her hip encouraged her to move. Soon she was riding his hand, circling her hip forward to get as much friction from his thumb as she could and the release that burst around her was powerful enough to make her cry out. She wanted to fall limply on top of him but he held her up. He moved his hand out from beneath her and she watched as he connected his eyes with hers, then put both fingers into his mouth to suck them dry. Lorelai gasped softly and looked down at their crotches where his still erect penis was throbbing between them.

Chris looked down at what was drawing her eye then lifted her up enough for his cock to find her entrance then pulled her back down on top of him. She cried out at the force of his motion but he didn't slow down. He sat up, one hand was up her back, gripping her shoulder to pull her back down onto his cock as his hips pushed her up in a fast frantic rhythm.

"Lorelai…" She was weak, mewling in his arms, her arms fell limply around his neck, a rag doll for his bidding. "Lorelai," he said again and she lifted her head to look at him. "No one can fuck you like I fuck you." his words were said so evenly, the cold tone like a bucket of ice water over her body and she tried to pull back from him but he held her in place as he continued to pump into her.

"Chris, stop!" He thrust up with his hips as his hand on her shoulder pulled her down. "Chris!" she tried to lean back from him, put her hands on the front of his shoulders and tried to break his rhythm but he was too strong. His eyes dark, cold stared at her as he continued to move inside her, smooth fast strokes but whatever sensations they had caused before, now only caused her to shiver and ripple in disgust.

"No one." he said, his voice hard, even. "Can fuck you like this." He slid the hand that gripped her waist moved around to her front to massage her clit and Lorelai felt her body respond to his touch. He knew her well enough to know what she liked and now he was using it to garner a response. "No one can make you come like this."

He leaned forward, pulled her against his chest so his lips were against her ear. He felt himself nearing his own release and let her know by grunting against her ear, breathy moans that shot down her spine and killed any pleasure her body might be beginning to manifest.

"Ah, Lore, Ah…" He panted and moaned his grip on her tightening. "Fuck, yes," He bounced her up and down on his cock until finally he found his release and came hard and hot inside her. He continued to move her until he was fully spent then fell back down onto the mattress and pulled her down on top of him.

Lorelai lay still for a few breaths, then when his grip loosened she sat up and slowly extracted herself from his arms.

She stepped back from him, making her way out of the room but never taking her eyes off him. In the bathroom she softly closed the door and locked it behind her. She stood against the sink and let her whole body sag as her legs lost the power to hold her up and she sank to the floor. Her knees came up to her chest and she dropped her head onto her folded arms atop them. Her tears were silent and hot as they ran down her cheeks but she refused to allow a morsel of sound come out.

After a few moments more she looked up, pressed her face into her hands and took a deep shuddering breath. She pulled herself up to her feet and ran the cold tap then cupped her hands below it to splash her face. She leaned into the shower and turned it on then grabbed her toothbrush and vigorously brushed the sensation of his tongue out of her mouth. Fresh hot tears sprang into her eyes and she squeezed them shut in an effort to keep them at bay. She spat out the paste and rinsed with mouthwash then stepped into the shower and let the powerful spray come down on the top of her head.

She combed her fingers through her hair as she tipped her face up to the water and only then allowed her tears to fall. By the time her fingers had pruned and the water had chilled she was just about ready to emerge. She shut off the shower and grabbed a large heavy bath towel to wrap around herself then took a deep breath and opened the door. the bedroom was empty and only the tousled sheets on the bed were remaining of her encounter with Chris. She quickly dressed in jeans and a baggy hoodie then fixed her hair into a ponytail at the back of her head. She pulled on her woolen socks and boots and tied them securely before leaving the room. At the top of the stairs she paused again, steeling herself against an encounter with him but when she came downstairs, she found both the living room and kitchen empty.

Lorelai grabbed her jacket from the hooks in the hall and snatched her keys and purse from the small table then hurried out to the jeep. She climbed in and quickly tried to start the engine without fastening her belt. the engine whirred but didn't engage. She pulled her key out and tried again but it was no use.

"C'mon, god dammit!" She slammed her hand on the wheel and tried again, this time pressing her foot down on the accelerator a few times and with a wave of relief it started. She looked over her shoulder and quickly backed out of the drive but it wasn't until she was on the road that she realized she had no idea where she was going. She came to a stop at a junction and looked up at the signage. To the left was Hartford, her parents house, to the right was the Inn where Sookie was still working and straight ahead the road to Yale, but Rory was in London. She felt the jeep's engine splutter and cough and she quickly gunned the accelerator pedal to bring it back to life. She took a deep breath, flicked on her indicator and drove.

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 **A/N** : Story is complete, just editing and making sure all the t's are crossed and i's are dotted. (along with the lower case j's) Daily-ish updates.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N** : For those of you still reading...thanks for the trust! OK, on with the show.

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Luke dragged the damp cloth over the empty tables and lifted the chairs up one by one. When the entire room was ready to be swept he went back to the kitchen grabbed his unopened bottle of beer and twisted the cap off. He tossed the cap into the trash as he took a long swig and carried the brush out to the diner. It had been a few days since his run in with Chris and though his face was no longer showing the marks of their scuffle, he still felt the pain. Though he was sure that pain had less to do with the few punches Chris had landed and more to do with his heavy sinking heart. He hadn't seen or heard from Chris, or Lorelai for that matter since that day and his traitorous mind often went to the image of them together in his house. Her house. Their house. Well, Lorelai and Chris's house now. He took a long drink of his beer again and put the near empty bottle down onto the counter as he went towards the back to start sweeping. He was halfway through when he heard a soft knock on the window.

Daring his heart to beat again Luke looked up over his shoulder without turning around fully, only to see Sookie standing there wringing her hands in tight tense circles. Luke leaned the brush against the counter and went to the door to open it, but instead of inviting her in, he came down the steps and met her on the path.

"I'm closed Sookie."

"Have you seen Lorelai?"

"Huh?" He frowned and blinked as if he wasn't sure he had heard her right. "Lorelai? No. I haven't seen her in a few days." Sookie's frown deepened and no matter how much he wanted to ignore it, he simply couldn't. "What's wrong?" Sookie looked up at him and he spotted the tears in her eyes and immediately his heart twisted into a new knot of worry and pain. "Come in," he said as he grabbed her arm and ushered her into the diner. "Sit down." He pulled a chair off the table and urged her to sit, then pulled one out for himself and sat next to her. "Whats wrong?"

"Lorelai…"

"What about her?"

"I can't find her."

"What?" Luke's brow creased. "Find her? What do you mean?"

"I can't find her. I haven't seen her since Thursday. She left work at the usual time. She was in a pretty bad mood what with…" She looked up at him and Luke looked away. "And of course Rory is in London for Christmas."

"Right, yeah."

"Anyway, she never came in on Friday so I figured she was just taking a day to let it all settle in." Sookie rubbed her face with her hands. "She was supposed to go to her parents on Friday night but her mother called the inn looking for her that evening. She never showed."

Luke's worry ramped up a notch. "What about, um…" His eyes darted around the room as he hoped Sookie wouldn't make him say Chris's name aloud.

"He's gone back to Boston."

"Maybe she is gone with him?"

"I don't think so. Saturday morning he came into the inn and dropped off a key for Lorelai."

"A key?"

"To the house."

Luke let this all sink in but his mind was reeling. Where could she be? What happened on Thursday to result in a breakup with Chris and her disappearing. He sat back in horror at the memory of his childish fight with Chris, and Sookie watched the blood drain from his face.

"What is it?"

"Has anyone seen her since Thursday?" he said, ignoring her question.

"No."

"Did you call Rory?"

"No, I didn't want to worry her, she is coming home soon."

"Have you checked her house?"

"Yes! Of course I have." Sookie shouted, her hands up in the air in exasperation before she dropped her elbows to her knees and her face into her hands. Luke reached out and patted her shoulder soothingly then stood up and grabbed his jacket.

"Let's go over there now."

He patted his pockets until he found his keys then ushered her out of the diner and into his truck. They made the short journey wrapped in a tense silence and Sookie had the door open even before he had parked in the driveway. Se raced across the lawn and banged on the door as Luke made his way up the achingly familiar porch steps. Sookie banged on the door again and called out her name. Behind them Babbette came out onto her own porch and wrapped a heavy coat over her dressing gown.

"Hey Sookie, have you still not found her?"

Luke whirled to face Babbette, the involvement of another person making Lorelai's disappearance all the more real. "Have you seen her at all Babbette?" Luke asked as he stepped out onto the lawn and looked up at the house to search for any sign of life.

"No sugah. Like I was telling Sook' yesterday, she stormed out of here pretty fast on Thursday night. I came over to see if something was the matter what with her dad having that dodgy ticker but no one was home."

"Did they have a fight?" he asked.

"Maybe, I didn't hear nothing but then Chris isn't really the shouting type."

No, he wasn't. Luke admitted. That was more his domain. He circled the house trying to gain entrance through the back door, side door and several windows but it was locked up tight and secure. Round at the front door again he took his jacket off and balled it up around his elbow then jammed it into the small window panel near the door lock then cleared the glass and reached into open it. Before he could even push it fully open Sookie brushed him aside and hurried in, raced upstairs as he followed. The house was empty. Down in the hallway they met Babbette who was on the phone to Ms Patty to shared the details of what was going on.

"You need to call Rory."

"She isn't in London Luke, her passport is up stairs in her bedroom locker."

"Rory might know where she is."

"Or she might not!"

"Have you tried the hospital's?" Luke asked tentatively, voicing the one thought everyone was terrified of. Sookie shook her head and fresh tears sprang into her eyes. Luke turned to Babbette and held his hand out for the phone. She said a quick goodbye to Ms Patty before handing it over and Luke walked into the kitchen to make the call, as Sookie went to the couch and collapsed with a sigh, finally allowing her tears to fall.

"What the hell is going on here?"

Sookie looked up at the door in a flash and lost all the breath from her lungs with a soft scream as she raced across the room and engulfed Lorelai into a long tight hug, trapping her arms by her sides. "Sookie, what is wrong with you! Did you break my window?"

"Lorelai!" Sookie cried out, her tears staining the front of Lorelai's jumper and finally Lorelai managed to wriggle free and hold her friend at bay, only to be afforded the same greeting by Babbette.

"Will one of you please tell me what's going on."

"You're home."

All three women looked up at Luke who was standing beside the couch with the phone in his hand and a plain expression on his face. For a beat, no one moved then Luke reached over onto the small table and replaced the phone into its cradle. "I'll leave you to it." He shucked his jeans, avoided eye contact with the three of them as he carefully slipped past them and out of the house, closing the door softly behind him.

"Sookie?" Lorelai asked and she looked down at her friend who was still engulfing her in a hug. "What the hell is going on?"

Sookie looked up with a sheepish smile as she loosened her grip on Lorelai and gripped her hands instead. She dragged her across the room and pushed her onto the couch then sat beside her, looking up as Babbette plopped down onto the armchair and sat forward, not willing to miss a second of what was about to transpire.

"Where have you been?" Sookie asked, her parental tone making an appearance as she scolded her friend.

"I was in the city."

"Boston?"

"No, New York."

"With Chris?"

Lorelai looked away from her friend, chanced a glance at Babbette then looked down to her hands as her fingers twisted and knotted between her knees. "No," she said softly.

"Honey," Sookie's voice lost her stern tone and she rubbed Lorelai's shoulder soothingly. "What happened?"

"We had a fight." Babette inched forward on her seat to better hear Lorelai's softly spoken words. Lorelai glanced up at the movement but looked away, focusing her eyes on her hands in an effort to calm her emotions.

"Oh honey." Sookie pulled her into her arms for a hug. She held her head on her shoulder and rubbed her back softly as she made soothing noises in her ear. When Lorelai made no protest to the embrace, Sookie shifted on the couch and settled in for the long haul. She glanced up at Babbette and gestured with her head for her to leave but it took a few moments and exchanged glances for her to get the idea. Eventually, after Babbette had left and Lorelai's breathing had evened out, Sookie urged her to sit up. Lorelai dry washed her face then excused herself to go to the bathroom and wash it properly. Sookie slipped into the kitchen to make some soothing tea which was ready just as Lorelai took a seat at the kitchen table.

"Have you seen Chris?" she asked as she took the cup and lifted it with both hands to her face.

"He came by the Inn on Friday and left your house key at the reception desk."

"So he left for real?"

Sookie frowned at the tinge of relief she noted in Lorelai's voice and not the sadness she expected. She sipped her tea and nodded then put her cup down and turned her full attention to Lorelai. "What happened?"

Fresh tears sprung in her eyes and Lorelai looked down again. "I…I'm not even sure."

"Tell me."

"Why was Luke here?"

"I went to him, looking for you?"

"To Luke?" Lorelai looked up with a frown but her friends arched eyebrow quietened her argument.

"I hadn't seen you since Thursday Lorelai, I was out of my mind with worry. Then when Chris came by with the key to your house I knew something must have happened. I wondered if maybe you and Luke…"

"No, Sookie."

"So what did happen?"

Lorelai looked up at Sookie who was watching her with an expectant soft expression. She picked up her cup of tea, more for something to do with her hands than any real desire to drink it. The steam curled around her face and she felt her tears burn but blinked them away and took a deep breath. She started to tell Sookie what had happened, slowly at first, trying desperately to keep her emotions at bay. She wanted to get an honest reaction from her friend and understand herself what had transpired. Without going into Danielle Steele level of details Lorelai explained carefully, quietly and with as little inflection as possible how he had turned the mood, and what he had said. Sookie paled as she listened to her friends voice and felt a bubble of anger curl up from her toes.

"I got in the jeep and took off."

"Why New York?"

"I just started driving, I needed to get away. I was over at Blake's cross before I knew it and I needed to be away from…everything."

"Oh Lorelai, you should have come to me."

"I…I didn't want to…make it more real than it was." The tears that threatened to fall finally became too much and trailed down her cheeks. She made no move to wipe them away, knowing only more were about to follow.

"Oh honey!" Sookie gripped her hand and tried earnestly to let her know she was there. "Do you want to-"

"No!" Lorelai said her voice loud and shrill.

"Lorelai-"

"I know what you are going to say." Lorelai took her hand out of Sookie's grip and picked up her tea again. "I don't want to go to the hospital, I don't want to go to the police." She sipped her tea. "All I want to do is forget it happened. Move on with my life, my new life."

"Lorelai…"

"Sookie please, you have to promise me you won't say anything…to anyone."

They both connected eyes and Sookie knew she wasn't talking about the police. "Don't you think they should know?" she said softly, still not meaning the police.

"Definitely not." Lorelai sipped her tea. "I just need to…move on."

Sookie nodded her head softly. They sat in silence for a few moments more then Sookie took both of their empty cups and rinsed them out in the sink. She left them upside down on the drain and turned to see Lorelai still sitting at the table, her shoulders hunched over and her head bent low. "C'mon, let's get you to bed." She took Lorelai's arm and helped her up then led her arm in arm to the bedroom but at the door Lorelai froze. Fresh tears sprung into her eyes and Sookie rolled her eyes at her own thoughtlessness. "Sorry, I'm so stupid, let's go back to my place."

Lorelai started to protest but Sookie wouldn't hear of it. She linked arms with her forcefully and led her out to the jeep. She pushed Lorelai into the passenger seat and quickly drove them to her house. Once inside the door a hive of activity exploded around them. Jackson was trying to make dinner while Davy and Martha were fighting over lego pieces that covered the entire living room floor.

"Sorry about this," Sookie said with a chagrin smile as she carefully stepped around the colorful bricks but Lorelai just smiled and sat on the floor amongst the kids. She built towers and planes, houses and various animals with the lego as Sookie went into the kitchen to help Jackson with dinner. When she called for the kids to pick up their toys, Lorelai grumbled along with them but ultimately made it into game that soon had the living room tidy and the lego put into the toy chest in the corner. She took Martha's hand and slowly walked with her to the kitchen where Davy was holding a seat for her. She strapped Martha into her high chair on one side and sat with Davy on her other side.

Jackson made a show of dishing out the food with funny voices and cartoon names for what essentially was spaghetti bolognese with garlic bread. She tried to eat her own as she fed Martha and kept an eye on Davy to be sure he wasn't filling up on the garlic bread as Sookie filled her in on what was happening at the Inn. Jackson went on an elaborate rant about his Brussels sprouts that were behind schedule and should be ready for harvesting but were still a few weeks shy. Lorelai just soaked it all in. The carefree and easy happiness that was soaked into the walls and emanating out of each and every smile or giggle that came out of the kids chubby cheeks, or the stolen glances and smiles shared between Sookie and Jackson.

When dinner was finished and Lorelai helped get the kids to bed, Sookie pushed her onto the couch and appeared by her side with a glass of wine for each of them. Jackson was putting his coat on and wrapping a scarf around his neck when they both looked up and frowned.

"Jackson, you are not spending the night out on the patch again! It's twenty degrees outside!"

"I'm just going to check on them." He said as he opened the door and slipped out. "I'll be back in thirty minutes." He closed the door before she could argue any more. Sookie turned back to face Lorelai and rolled her eyes but Lorelai could only smile. When it was time for bed they made up the couch in a companionable silence. Jackson had returned as promised but hurried up stairs for a hot shower and went straight to bed, knowing they needed time alone to talk. Now with the couch ready and inviting, Sookie still seemed reluctant to leave Lorelai's side.

"Are you going to be ok?" she asked and grasped her friend's hand tightly.

Lorelai simply nodded, not quite trusting herself to speak. She offered Sookie a smile and squeezed her hand. Sookie returned the squeeze then went upstairs to bed. Lorelai sat on the couch and took off her boots then pulled the blanket aside and climbed into the makeshift bed. She tried to close her eyes, and bask in the sense of family and security that was in the air but no matter what she tried, she could only hear his voice. His voice saying her name. "Lorelai." She screwed her eyes shut tighter and tried to remember dinner with Davy and Martha but she heard his voice again. "Lorelai." His hands had gripped her hips and left bruised fingerprints on the fleshy plump of her ass. His lips against her ear burned and when his grunts and moans permeated the air she crossed her arms over her head and hummed the soft lullaby she used to lure Martha to sleep. It seemed like the night was never going to end.


	3. Chapter 3

As soon as the first light peeked through the blinds Lorelai got up and quickly folded the sheets onto the end of the couch. She crept out of the house and drove back to her house, all the while focusing on taking deep, steadying breaths. She parked in the driveway and without waiting for the dread to sink in she marched across the lawn and raced upstairs to her room. She grabbed a bag from under the wardrobe and quickly filled it with enough clothing and toiletries to last a week or so then without pausing to look around hurried down and out to her jeep. Only then did the shaky breaths wrack her body and she sat in the driver's side for a few moments to collect herself. The loud knock on her windscreen startled her and made her jump but she saw Babette standing by her window looking in with a worried smile. Lorelai tried to smile as she opened her window.

"Hey sugah!" Babette said as she leaned in to the car with her arms folded on the door. "You're up early."

"Just getting to work to catch up on everything."

"Ah right, so you and Chris…" Babette said in leading statement, hoping Lorelai would continue it but Lorelai remained silent and simply nodded her head slowly.

"I'd love to stay and chat Babette, but I have to get to work."

"Oh sure thing, honey." Babette stepped back from the car and wrapped her puffy coat around her dressing gown tighter as she hurried back to her porch. She watched as Lorelai drove off, and waved until she was out of sight.

At the inn Lorelai left her bag in the car then went into the reception to check the guests and see where she might be able to stay for a while. Thankfully one of the cabins outside was free and had no booking until the following week so she marked it as occupied for herself. She drove the jeep around to the back of the inn and parked near the cabin then hurried over to let herself in. Once the lock clicked into place behind her she felt her resolve crumble a little more. She held fast onto her inner strength as she quickly stripped and found refuge in the hot spray of the shower. She had taken no clothing with her to New York and had only purchased the bare minimum to get by. Now showered and dried, she dressed in her normal work clothes and with her makeup applied she felt strong enough to take on the day. When Sookie arrived a few hours later she found Lorelai in her office responding to emails, checking the registry and making sure the event planner was up to date.

"You left early this morning, I wanted to make you breakfast."

"I woke up early and decided to get a start on my catching up."

"Woke early?" Sookie leaned against the table beside her friend and put a hand on her shoulder. "Did you get any sleep?"

"Do I look that bad?"

"No, you look fine, I just know you."

"I'm fine Sookie." She patted her friend's hand and tried to turn her attention back to her task at hand.

"Have you eaten?"

"I had a muffin from the kitchen this morning."

"So that's a no."

"Really Sookie, I'm fine."

"Let me make you an omelette." Sookie moved towards the door, her mission now to feed her friend.

"Sookie, really…"

"Lorelai!" Sookie yelled out and wheeled around to face Lorelai. "Please, let me do this, just this!"

Lorelai recognized the need to help and nodded her head. Sookie turned away and walked out without saying another word. Lorelai had made no progress by the time she returned with an omelette and some french toast. She pushed the ledger aside and put it on the table and Lorelai looked up at her with a soft smile. Sookie took the chair on the other side of the table as if keeping watch to be sure she ate it all up.

"So you went home and showered?" she said as she sipped her cup of tea.

Lorelai took a forkful of the omelette to stall then said softly, "Not exactly."

"What do you mean?"

"I went home and grabbed some things but I came here to shower. I went out to cabin 7 and put my stuff there. Is that ok?"

"Of course." Sookie was silent for a moment as she played with the executive toys on Lorelai's desk. "How long do you think you will stay there?"

"I…I dunno.I just can't be in that house right now."

Sookie nodded sagely and they both sat in silence while Lorelai forced the omelette bite past the massive lump in her throat. When she was done Sookie stood and took her empty plate then squeezed her shoulder and left the room saying she would see her for lunch before she closed the door.

Over the next few hours Lorelai worked on the usual mundane tasks that she tended to leave until the last minute. She balanced the bank accounts, highlighted the events planner with any overlapping issues and made a list of calls that needed to be logged, then sorted out the staff roster for the next month before finally getting started on the phone calls. By the time Sookie knocked on the door and pushed it open Lorelai had almost finished and welcomed the interruption.

"Ready for lunch?"

"Yeah sure," Lorelai said with a tired smile as she started to clear her desk again but Sookie shook her head and held out her hand to her friend.

"I thought we might take it out on the veranda."

"Sookie it's like thirty degrees outside."

"Yeah, but we had those heaters installed last week so it should be nice and cosy." She jerked her head and wiggled her fingers at Lorelai who smiled and stood to follow.

On the veranda Lorelei spotted the small lunch Sookie had prepared and her heart swelled with love for her best friend. She turned to Sookie and engulfed her in a tight hug then broke free and took a seat. Sookie had prepared a beef and larger stew with sourdough bread. They ate in silence punctuated only by sighs as the delicious food offered warmth and comfort to them both. When they were finished Sookie took their empty bowls into the kitchen and returned with two slices of chocolate cake.

"Oh Sookie, I don't know if I have any room for that…" Sookie looked up at Lorelai with an arched eyebrow and Lorelai shrugged and took the proffered slice. "A lady is supposed to protest at first."

They were almost finished their cake when a grey truck pulled up outside the back entrance to the Inn. Tom climbed out and zipped up his coat as he hurried up to them. "Afternoon ladies."

"Tom, you came!" Sookie said as she clapped her hands.

"You threatened me and my kin if I didn't. So you're walk in fridge is on the fritz?"

"Yeah there seems to be an air leak, any of the produce I leave near the door is wilting."

"Have you thought that maybe your produce guy is selling you wilty produce?"

Sookie rolled her eyes at him and grabbed his elbow to drag him into the kitchen. Before he left the porch though Lorelai called out to him. He turned back to face her, his hand still on the door frame to stop Sookie from pulling him away completely. "Can you come into my office to see me when you are done in the kitchen?"

"Sure thing Lorelai."

A few hours later as Lorelai was finished making her last phone call there was a soft knock on the door and Tom popped his head around the door. 'Now a good time?"

Lorelai waved him in and gestured to a seat. "I was wondering if you are available for some work around the house."

"Depends on the size of the job."

"No remodeling," she said with a chuckle. "I think I've don't enough of that to last a lifetime. Just wanted to get some walls painted and furniture assembled."

"Oh ok, sure. I can give you three days this week if that suits." He pulled a small notebook out of his back pocket. "How many rooms you want painted?"

"Master bedroom, hallway and living room."

"And what kind of furniture?"

"Bedroom set." If Tom inferred anything by what she was saying he didn't say it. He simply wrote it into his book.

"How about Thursday morning?"

"Sounds great."

"We can do the first coat then assemble the furniture while the paint drys then do the last coat and be done by Saturday evening. That work?"

"Perfect."

"I can give you a price now for labour, or if you give me colors I can get that priced for you too."

"Sure, I'll get the colors decided by tomorrow and call you."

"Okay, thanks Lorelai." He slapped his thighs as he stood and left the room with a half way, a familiar gesture that reminded her of another man and her heart danced in her chest for a second before resuming its usual dull thud.

She ignored the sensation and picked up the phone to dial for the operator. After getting through to the number she requested Lorelai made the arrangements she needed to then gathered her things then went out to the kitchen to find Sookie in the middle of dinner prep. She spoke quickly to her and promised to return for dinner then left. As she parked her jeep in her own lawn she was annoyed by the fresh feeling of fear that coursed through her body. She did her damnedest to push it aside as she let herself in and slowly walked up the stairs. She didn't pause for thought as she reached the bed and stripped it. She divided the bedclothes into two piles then went to the hot press and divided everything in there into the same piles. She went to the dresser and pulled out all of her clothing. Some of it joined the bed sheets on the floor, and others went onto the armchair in front of the wardrobe. When she had the lockers cleared out she dragged them to the top of the stairs.

Back in her room she surveyed her handiwork, her chest heaving from the exertion. When she was done, nothing in this room would remind her of Chris. Nothing in this room would be something he had touched, except herself. Her bravado deflated somewhat at that admission and she fought to keep it up. A knock on the door distracted her enough and went down to answer it.

"Furniture movers." A fit young man stood on her doorstop with a clipboard and pen and looked up at her with a disarming smile. "You need some stuff moved?"

"Yes, please, come in."

She led them upstairs and pointed out the bed side lockers, the bed, the dresser and the bags of bed clothing she had prepared.

"All of this?" he asked as he noted it on his clipboard.

"Yes."

"Says here there is no desired destination."

"No, I just want to get rid of it."

"Okay well you have three options." He folded his arms across his chest. "We can take it to the recycling plant, that will cost about $150 for processing plus the moving fee. We can bring it to the Thrift store in Hartford so you only need to pay the moving fee. Or we can bring it to the distribution centre outside New Havan where we will sell it and you can earn back up to 60% of the takings."

"No, I don't want any money for this."

"So thrift store or recycling?"

"Thrift store is fine, and if they don't want it, bring it to the recycling centre."

"Okay," he said as he took note on his clipboard then passed it over to her to sign. Lorelai signed it then moved out of the way as the three men took the furniture away. After they left Lorelai went up to her room and sorted through what little clothing she had left then put it away in her wardrobe which now had plenty of room. She went through the bathroom, emptying it of any sign of him then with a burst of energy moved through the house to do the same. It was dark and late when she was finally done and she jumped at the sound of the phone ringing.

"Hello?"

"Lorelai, you're at home still? I thought you were staying at the Inn?"

"I am, I'm just about to go back there now."

"Okay, I left some food for you in the kitchen."

"Thanks Sook."

"You doin ok?"

"Yeah." Lorelai looked around her empty bedroom. "Yeah, I am now."

"Okay, I'll see you in the morning for breakfast?"

"Sounds good."

"Good night." After she hung up, Lorelai made her way back to the inn and without pausing to undress she climbed into bed and fell asleep.

In the morning over breakfast Lorelai and Sookie talked paint colours and decided on what to go with and she called Tom to relay the message. But Tom insisted on her meeting him to show exactly which colors to be sure she got them right.

"I'm in TJ's right now but I'll be at the gazebo in the square in about 20 minutes to check on something for Taylor."

"Okay, I'll see you there."

Lorelai finished her coffee and dropped it into the sink then grabbed her coat and went to meet him. She was standing at the gazebo, stomping her feet to keep warm when Tom hurried over to her. He dropped his toolbox by the bottom steps and met her in the middle.

"Sorry, got caught up explaining something to Kirk and well, you know how that goes."

"Yeah," Lorelai said with a chuckle as she pulled her chosen colors out of her pocket. "Here ya go."

"Okay, so moss green 215 in the hallway, silver blue 667 in the bedroom and eggshell white 122 in the living room. That right?" Tom said as he wrote on the back of each color and put the same into his notebook.

"Yeah."

"Okay, I think one shade lighter in the hallway will be better for the light as it only has the one window."

"Sure, sounds good."

"And I have three cans of silver blue left over from a job in New Haven last month so we'll only need to buy one more."

"Great."

"So see you Thursday?"

"Yep, the furniture is arriving Friday morning."

"Great, I'll call you later with the quote."

He waved at her again and went down to his toolbox. Lorelai turned and started to walk back to her jeep but veered towards Doosey's with the sudden urge for some red vines. She stalked the aisles in the small grocers and found what she was looking for and was struggling to open the packet when she walked out the door and right into Luke.

"Oh, sorry," she said and looked up as the red wines packet slipped through her fingers and hit the floor. She blushed and bent over to pick them up, only for the remaining paint swatches to fall out of her pockets. "Dammit." She crouched to pick them all up and Luke slowly lowered himself with her to help.

"Painting?" he asked as they both stood and he held out the colors for her.

"Yeah," was all she could manage.

Luke looked down at her and recognized the lack of sleep, the worry lines, her sad and tired eyes and his heart yearned to reach out for her. Instead he shoved his hands into his pockets.

"Sorry I just need to… um…" he gestured at the door behind her and Lorelai blushed as she stepped aside to let him in.

"Hey Luke," she called out to him and he turned, half in and half out of Doosey's Market. "Thanks."

"For?"

"The other night. With Sookie. She was out of her mind with worry."

"I noticed."

"So I just wanted to say-"

"Luke either come in, or go out, but either way, close that door!" Taylor yelled at him from inside the store.

"I better go in." He nodded towards the store and slowly stepped in. Lorelai watched him walk down the aisle and took a steadying breath then hurried back to her jeep and drove off.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** Delayed update... I am in India, Life, uh, found a way! Sorry to keep you waiting, will get back on track ASAP.

* * *

The next morning, Lorelai was closing the cabin door behind her when Sookie pulled up in the car and honked her horn. Lorelai turned and smiled at her friend then hurried over and climbed in beside her.

"You ready?" Sookie asked, and she gunned the engine and made a lion roaring face along with the noise.

Lorelai laughed as she reached back for her seatbelt and Sookie honked the horn twice more then took off. They had planned a full day of shopping and Jackson had agreed to take the kids to his mothers until Sunday. Sookie was eager to get some quality time with Lorelai, help her pick out clothing and generally cheer her up and Lorelai was looking forward to getting started on a new chapter. Tom had put the furniture together and she had been in the house with him the night before to be sure everything was going to plan. He had called her that morning to confirm he was finishing up the final coat of paint and would have everything cleared out and ready for her to move back in by dinner time. Now all that was left to do was to replace all the clothing and linen she had thrown out and start again.

Start again.

Those words pulled the smile from her lips and made her shoulders slump. She didn't want to start again. She didn't want to start at all. She just wanted to rest for a while. She looked over at her friend who was bobbing her head to a new tune that just started on the radio and she couldn't help the small smile. She reached into her bag and grabbed a piece of bubbleicious gum and handed one to Sookie then took one herself and joined in.

The day flew by in a flurry of purchases. They made three trips back to the car with their arms laden with bags and it still they weren't finished. They stopped for a coffee in the central cafe and people watched other shoppers for a while then when they were finished Sookie grabbed Lorelai's wrist and pulled her across the mall to the lingerie store with a wicked grin on her face.

"Sookie…" Lorelai protested when she realised where they were going.

"What!" Sookie pushed her in and followed close behind. "You said you threw out all the other pieces because of…well with everything else. So you need to get new ones!"

"I don't need them though." Lorelai said even as her treacherous fingers reached out to touch the silky lace garments. "I'm not dating anyone and I don't plan to for a very long time."

"No harm in being prepared."

"How often is happiness destroyed by preparation, foolish preparation!"

"By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail." Sookie waggled her finger at Lorelai as she walked around the aisle looking for something to pull out.

"Eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow you may die!" Lorelai responded with a chuckle

"Expect the worst, but prepare for the best…" Sookie retorted with a laugh as she held up a deep red silken teddy. "This would look fabulous on you!"

"Sookie, I really don't want…" Lorelai spotted a navy two piece with a matching garter belt. "Oh this one…" she picked it up and held it against her body then turned to face Sookie who was clapping her hands with a giggle.

"Try it on! Try it on!"

The next hour in the store Lorelai was camped out in the changing rooms as Sookie handed her back multiple choices that she could try. Eventually she decided on a few key garments, stating it was purely for necessity and purchased them with a wicked grin. Sookie liked her arm in the crook of Lorelai's elbow and they walked through the mall, as Lorelai swung her newly purchased items from side to side. They turned the corner, caught up in a fit of giggles and walked right into Luke who was looking down at a cell phone in his hand and not watching where he was going.

"Oh sorry." The three of them stopped and looked at each other and Sookie was stuck looking between them both. "Hey." Luke said eventually.

"Hey." Lorelai managed to get out though her voice sounded broken and hoarse.

"Hey Luke, what ya got there? New phone?"

"Dropped my cell in the dishwasher this morning. Needed a new one." His eyes immediately went to Lorelai's hands at her shopping bag but he didn't recognize the shop name or logo. "Shopping?"

"Yeah." Lorelai cursed her voice again and quietly cleared her throat.

"Just having a girly day out," Sookie said, to break the awkward silence she could feel building between them both.

"Right, yeah." He glanced between them both. "I guess I'll let you get back to it."

He stepped aside and let them pass then watched them walk for a few meters before turning on his heel and walking back towards his own truck to get away from the mall as quick as he could. He slipped the phone into his back pocket as he stepped onto the escalator and let his eyes wander around the mall but they landed on the shop at the top near the entrance to the car park and he recognized the logo as being the same from Lorelai's bag. He glanced at the window and looked away then in a comical gesture did a double take to actually register what he was looking at. The scantily clad mannequins in the window did nothing to suggest what the store might be selling, instead they were quite clearly brandishing various undergarments, lingerie, accessories and creams and Luke felt a small color burn in his cheeks. He looked away and took a deep breath as he kept walking and tried to avert his gaze, but as he looked at the last mannequin it was Lorelai he saw standing there wearing the pale blue 2 piece with the black lace trim. He blinked to rid himself of the image and instead focused on getting out of the mall and back to the safety of his diner as quick as he could.

After Sookie dropped her off at the inn Lorelai took only a few moments to pack her meagre belongings before she made her way home. She met Tom in the lawn as he was packing up the last of his equipment. He put the last box into the back of his truck then came back to the porch to walk her through the house and point out all the work that had been done. Apart from the painting and putting the furniture together, he had fixed the wobbly rail on her staircase, the drawer in her bathroom that wouldn't close and fixed a window that wasn't closing fully. She took the invoice off him and promised to get the cheque to him by the end of the week. Tom waved at her as he left and Lorelai took a moment to let it all sink in. But before it could get too deep she hurried back out to her car and grabbed her shopping. It took four trips to take it all in and she brought it all upstairs to her room. She spent the rest of the evening putting it all away, making appear as if these new items had always been here in her home. And if it wasn't for the utter tidiness she was left with, she would almost have believed it.

Later on the couch as she opened the pizza that had just arrived and took a slice out to bite just as the phone rang. She sighed, looked up at the movie that she was ready to unpause and wondered if she would let the answering machine take the call but when it clicked on and through the small speaker she could hear Rory's voice, Lorelai dropped the slice back into the box and jumped up to grab the phone.

"Hello?" she said, hoping Rory was still on the other side.

"Mom?"

"Yes! You were expecting maybe Lady Chatterley?"

"Or her lover."

"Maybe it is I!"

"Wow, progressive!"

"How is London?"

"Cold!"

"Really?"

"It's not snowing, but it's raining, not stop. Everything is damp and cold."

"How was Christmas?" Rory said as she settled back onto the couch and pulled the soft blanket over her legs.

"Strange," Rory admitted and Lorelai recognized the wistful tone in her daughter. "I miss you."

"I miss you too."

"How was Christmas there?"

"Quiet without you." Lorelai pulled at a loose piece of thread on the edge of the blanket.

"Mom…" Rory said and Lorelai waited with bated breath for her to continue. "I spoke to Grandma."

"Yeah?"

"She said Dad has moved back to Boston."

"Oh."

"Mom?"

"Don't worry about it Rory. Enjoy the rest of your time with Logan. We can catch up when you get home."

"Mom."

"Rory, please." The soft plea from her mother was enough to stop Rory from insisting that they talk. They sat in silence for a moment or two then Lorelai asked her what she had gotten for Christmas from Logan. After a while when Rory was yawning more than talking Lorelai implored her to hang up and returned her focus to her now Luke warm pizza and the movie. When finally it was time to go to bed she cleaned up her mess and made her way slowly up stairs. She took a longer time than normal washing and brushing her teeth then changed into her new pajamas. By the bed she pulled back the new duvet with the equally new cupcake cover and climbed into the soft sheets and sighed. Her head reeled through a myriad of thoughts but she tried to banish them and get some sleep. Her body was weary but sleep was evasive. She tossed and turned, flipped her pillow back and forth but all she could think of were his hands on her body, his lips against her skin and his voice in her ear as he pushed into her. She felt her whole body shudder and jumped out of the bed, whirled around and started at it with narrowed eyes.

"Get a grip Gilmore!" she sneered as she stepped closer to the bed and gingerly lifted the duvet. She climbed in again and fixed the blanket over herself then reached over for the clock radio and fiddled with the buttons until she found the station with idle chatter to keep her mind of the rampant thoughts that occupied her brain. She tried desperately for the rest of the night to fall asleep, or at the very least think of something else but nothing works. When the first shards of light peeks through the curtains she tossed the duvet aside and quickly dressed. She pulled on a woolen hat and scarf and zipped up her blue puffy jacket then hurried out of the house. Walking through Stars Hallow was usual a joyous affair, one where she met and greeted friends and neighbors, spoke idly of the goings on and gently teased Patty for knowing everything, but this early in the morning the streets were deserted. The silence was almost painful. She brushed her cheek with one gloved hand to rid the traces of the tears that had fallen as she stepped onto the gazebo and sat into the bench and did her best to ignore them entirely.

Luke held the door open for Pat the baker to carry out his trays and waved him off but before he could close the door behind him he spotted someone sitting in the gazebo. He checked his watch and realised it was just after 5.30 am and wondered who it could be. Then he noticed the colorful woolen hat with the large blue bobble on top and knew it was Lorelai. Without even thinking about it, he crossed the road and hurried over to the gazebo stopping just short of the steps as his senses caught up with him. Would she welcome his intrusion?

He grabbed the handrail and slowly walked up the steps. She was sitting on the centre bench with her back to him, her head bent low and rested in her hands as her elbows were bent on her knees. He stood behind her for a few seconds, as if waiting for her to notice his presence and when he was on the cusp of deciding to turn away she sat up and let out a vocal and frustrated sigh.

"Lorelai?"

She jerked at the sound of his voice and whirled towards him as her hands clutched her chest. "Jesus!"

"Sorry…I didn't mean to startle you." Lorelai turned back to face away from him and quickly wiped her face again but it was no use, he had seen the glistening trails of her tears. "Everything ok?" he asked gently knowing she would brush him off with a generic platitude even as the words tumbled out of his mouth.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

There it was, he thought with a grimace. He took a step back to leave her be but instead he gripped the back of the bench and came around to sit next to her, careful to leave more than a few inches between them. "Fine. Sure." He clasped his hands together and blew hot air in between them then rubbed them gruffly and and held them between his knees. "That's why you are sitting in the gazebo at dawn, crying."

"I'm not crying." She said with a defiant glance up at him only to see his eyebrow arch up. "I was. But I'm not anymore."

"You want to talk about it?"

"No." Her answer was definitive and left no room for discussion.

"You want a coffee?"

"No." She had spoken before he had finished asking, then she sat up and turned to face him. "Wait, that's not what I thought you were going to ask."

"What did you think I was going to ask?"

"I thought you were going to ask me about…the other night."

Luke looked at her for a moment, making it clear that he did want to ask her about that but instead he shrugged one shoulder, maintained eye contact and curved one side of his lips up in an infuriating adorable half smile. So much that Lorelai had to look away. "I just thought you could use a cup of coffee."

She glanced back at him. "I could."

"C'mon," he said and he slapped his hands on his knees and stood up then without thinking about it reached a hand down to her, palm up, fingers slightly curled in invitation. Lorelai looked at his hand for a second, then up at his face and gingerly accepted his invitation. Despite the thick mittens she was wearing she could feel the heat from his hands seeping into hers. His fingerless gloves offering him more control he gripped her hand tightly and pulled her closer as he hurried across the square and over to the diner. He led her to a stool at the end of the counter, away from the till and urged her to sit down and only then did he drop her hand. She missed his touch, his warmth immediately and she had to look away, hoping he would mistake the color in her cheeks for simple heat from the diner.

She watched him as she pulled off her outerwear as he moved quickly and smoothly behind the counter and started to make the coffee. He didn't talk or hum like most people would when they performed daily tasks like this, instead he offered her a strong silence and plenty of space. She had just pulled her coat off and dropped it along with her hat, scarf and gloves on the stool next to her when he turned back and started to remove his own gear.

"It'll be ready in a few minutes."

"Thanks."

"Hungry?"

Lorelai shook her head but Luke continued to watch her until her cheeks reddened. "Maybe a little peckish."

"Pancakes?"

"No, Luke really, I'm fine."

"So a small stack?"

"Really, I'm ok."

"I'm about to have some oatmeal with fruit. You can have some of that, or you can sit there and watch me eat, or you can have some pancakes." He said matter of factly as if nothing had changed, as it it was all just some kind of horrifically detailed dream. "So…which will it be?"

"Pancakes," she muttered softly, tearing her eyes away from him and staring at the counter top.

"Sorry?" he placed both hands flat on the counter and leaned closer to her. "Didn't catch that."

"I'll have some pancakes." she said louder this time, but still not looking up. Luke nodded, turned to the coffee which was now ready and poured her a cup then placed it in front of her and disappeared into the kitchen.

Lorelai waited a few heartbeats then reached out for the cup, held it in both hands and lifted the aromatic drink to her face and inhaled deeply. The sudden familiar sensation overwhelmed her and she was awash with deja vu as every day she had spent in the diner flooded through her brain making her dizzy. She gripped the edge of the counter and the mug slipped out of her hand, clipped the edge of the counter and dropped to the floor, smashing into shards, spilling her coffee along with it.

"Oh crap!" She jumped off the stool and ignored the burning sensation in her legs from her sodden jeans as she grabbed a towel from the counter and tried to mop up her mess.

"Lorelai?" Luke came out of the kitchen and around the counter then hurried over to where she was bent down trying to clean up the spillage with paper napkins. "You ok? What happened?"

"I, um…I dropped it."

"It's ok." he reached for another towel and helped to clean it up and when he glanced up at her he noticed the tears falling freely from her eyes. "Hey, hey, it's ok," He said as he pulled the towel from her hands and gripped her upper arms to make her stand.

"I spilled it everywhere," she muttered, gesturing at the floor, the counter, her jeans.

"It doesn't matter." He gripped her upper arms tightly, resisting the urge to pull her against him, embrace her into a tight hug and bury her face against his neck and shoulder. "those jeans must be burning…" he lowered his hands from her shoulders and gripped her wrist instead as he pulled her with him, behind the curtain and up to his flat. He brought her towards his room and only let go of her long enough to rummage through his drawers for a pair of sweats and a teeshirt. "Here, change into these," he said, as he shoved the clothing into her arms, not giving her a choice but to take them. "I'll go check on the pancakes. Stay warm, I'll be right back."

Luke returned to the diner and Lorelai was left standing agape in his wake. He was right, her sodden jeans were burning against her skin so she quickly peeled them off, grimacing as the stiff material dragged against her skin. She looked around at the door to his apartment as if she expected him to come in any second then grabbed the change of clothing he offered and slipped into his bathroom.

In the diner kitchen Luke could hear his shower running and his heavy heart skipped a beat. He made her pancakes and cleaned up the spilled coffee then went back into the kitchen to prep a tray to bring her food up. He paused, holding his breath but could no longer hear the shower and figured it was safe enough to go up now. He stomped up the steps, making sure she knew he was coming then opened the door and went straight to his kitchen table. Looking over his shoulder, he spotted Lorelai sitting cross legged on his couch, her hair curly and tangled around her face in what he knew was an effort to hide fresh tears. Luke lifted the tray and carried it over to the couch then handed her a plate of pancakes which were already drenched in syrup. He lifted his own bowel of oatmeal and sat next to her, passed her a fork and started to eat his own breakfast in silence.

Lorelai took a moment to catch up before she cut off a small piece and ate it. Neither of them spoke and when Luke was finished he looked over to see she was half done, but disinterested in the rest. "You done?" he asked. She glanced up and nodded. "Give it here," he took her plate and his own and carried both to the sink then came back and sat next to her again. She took a shaky breath and interlocked her hands between her legs, stared at them intently and waited for him to speak. "Lorelai…" was all he said and it was enough for a fresh batch of tears to fall. "Oh, hey…" he didn't care anymore about what was the right thing to do or the easiest thing to do, he just knew he had to hold her. He draped an arm over her shoulder and without any resistance she let him pull her against his chest. Her head rested on the front of his shoulder and her whole body turned towards him, his heat, his comfort, him.

Luke gripped her knee and dragged her legs over his lap as one hand held her against him, the other rested on her hip, making sure she didn't move. He tried desperately to resist kissing the top of her head but it was proving to be too much so he simply dropped his face into her hair and inhaled. Lorelai cried softly, exhaustion taking over as her lack of sleep and need for comfort overwhelmed her.

It wasn't long until her breathing relaxed, her tears dried and Luke realised she was sleeping. He loathed to move her, wake her, ask her to leave but he needed to get down to the diner in the next ten minutes to greet the first customers of the day. The thought of staying closed and just waiting up here with Lorelai in his arms crossed his mind, but he knew she would wake and escape from his arms, his flat, his life and he would be left with nothing, again.

"Hey…" he said softly, so softly that she didn't stir and he knew it was his feeble attempt to con himself into letting her stay. but the more rational side of him, the side that had hardened his own protective shell, the side that tried to ignore the sight of her and…him…around town, the side that couldn't even say the guy's name, knew he needed to extract himself from this situation before it got too hard to survive.

He moved his head and looked down at her carefully. Her eyes were closed and her mouth was open a little as she breathed in deep and even breaths. The grip she had on his chest had slackened but the flannel was still curled around her fingers. He slowly slipped his arm under her knees and stood up from the couch, held her against his chest as he moved over to the bed and carefully dropped her onto the sheets then draped the duvet over her loosely. He took her jeans and rinsed them out in the sink then draped them over the back of a kitchen chair in front of the radiator. He took one more look at her lying in his bed then steeled himself against his temptations and went downstairs.

The morning in the diner was particularly arduous as he didn't have his normal set up time so he felt like he was catching up all day. And though he thought he would have no time to think about her lying up in his room, his bed, his tee, the image he had left up there never strayed far from the front of his mind. By the time the lunch rush died down he was ready to collapse and asked Cesar to take over for a while. He took the steps up to his flat in twos and paused only at the door in case she was still sleeping. But he found the chair by the radiator to be empty along with the bed, though it was made with a note left on the pile of folded clothes she has been wearing. Luke strode over to it and snatched it up and sat on the bed to read it.

"Thanks."

He flipped it over and back a few times to see if he had missed something but that was it. Her script writing curling at the ends made the single word seem joyous but it was with a frown that Luke scrunched the page up in his fist and tossed it into the bin.


	5. Chapter 5

Lorelai had woken in Luke's bed with a long drawn out yawn. She stretched and curled her body in random directions then rolled over onto her back with a sigh. As her eyes fell around the room, her heart dropped to her toes and her stomach lurched. She sat up immediately and pulled the duvet up against her chest then looked down with relief to see that she was dressed. Then with a sinking feeling realised she was wearing his clothing. Her mind reeled as the circumstances that led to her waking up in Luke's bed came back to her she quickly kicked the duvet aside and dressed in her own clothes. She made the bed and folded his things then turned to leave, pausing at the door for a moment then went over to his phone and grabbed the notebook and pen.

She sat on his bed and started to write a note but the pen hovered over the page for what felt like an inordinate amount of time without writing anything. What did you write to your ex fiancé who put you to bed, in his own bed, after he found you out on the street crying about your husband who had raped you…Lorelai wanted to laugh at the absurdity of it all but it had been too long since she had managed to laugh she had almost forgotten how. She scribbled thanks on the page and dropped it onto the clothing she folded for him then returned the pad and pen to the the phone and quietly left. At the bottom of the stairs she could hear him taking lunch orders and arguing with Kirk so she slipped out the back door and hurried home.

Now that she was back in her house, showered, changed and curled up on her own couch in front of the fire, she flicked through the tv stations idly waiting for something to pop out and steal her attention. When the phone rang she cursed the intrusion but picked it up before the answering machine. "Yello!" she said with a forced cheeriness.

"Lorelai, I've got a BBQ plate with your name on it."

"Hey Sookie," she said forcing a smile into her voice.

"Jackson is out in the garden BBQ'ing."

"Outside? It's twenty degrees out there!"

"I got a new marinade recipe and I wanted to try it."

"You are a cruel wife Sook!"

"So you want to come over?"

"Thanks, but no thanks."

"Awww!"

"I just ordered from Al's and it will be here any minute."

"Al's!" Sookie admonished. "My marinade will be way better than anything you've ordered from Al's!"

"I'm sure it will be. Rain check?"

"Okay, lunch tomorrow maybe?"

"Sounds good."

"Alright, see you sweetie."

Lorelai hung up the phone then deciding not to make a liar out of herself she reached for the phone to call Al's and order food when it rang again in her hand. "Hello?"

"Mom."

"Don't you mean Mum?" she said slipping deeper into the couch to chat with Rory.

"I've not been gone that long."

They both fell into an easy conversation but Lorelai knew when Rory was worried. Her voice was sharper, her questions more pointed and she was less likely to joke around with banter. By the time the conversation ended Lorelai was exhausted from the pretense.

"So I'll see you next Friday?"

"Yup. At the airport."

"Great, love you mom!"

"I love you too honey."

She hung up the phone again and dropped her head against the back of the couch. But before she could formulate a thought there was a loud knock on the door. Lorelai sighed and pushed herself up off the couch and dragged her tired body over to the door. No sooner has she pulled it open that Babbette came bustling in from the cold, holding a woolen cardigan tight around her body.

"Blustery cold today love!" she said as she hurried into the living room to stand before the fire.

"Yep, it sure is."

"Myself and Moury are just going over to the town meeting, and I wondered if you wanted to join?"

"No, not tonight," Lorelai said as she sat on the arm of the couch.

"No? It looks like it's going to be a good one though."

"Oh yeah?"

"Taylor was talking about some winter festival."

"We had the winterfest already."

"That was the christmas festival." Babbette rolled her eyes as she rubbed her hands in front of the fire. "Anyway, he wants to hold a ball in the square on new years."

"That sounds kind of fun," Lorelai said with a soft smile. It seemed so long ago that she would throw herself into the festivals and the general community. Now though she felt like an intruder, an outsider.

"Sure, until you remember it will be run by Taylor!" Babbette pulled her cardigan around her again and made her way towards the door. "Anyway, I just wanted to see if you were up to it. I guess I'll leave you to it."

"Thanks Babbette."

"Come by soon Lorelai," she said, her voice taking on a soft tone as she passed her in the hallway. "We'll have a coffee and catch up."

"I will." Lorelai watched her hurry through the light snow to the car where Moury was waiting patiently. She waved them off then closed the door and resumed her place on the couch. Her head rested against the arm and her eyes slowly drifted closed. The soft sound of the old movie in the background was enough to lull her into a light sleep but it wasn't long before she was jerked awake. She sat up and looked around, wondering what it was that woke her, Her eyes fell onto the TV and the sight of the two protagonists fighting made her wonder if that was what happened but then she heard a knock on the door. She paused, turned to face it and could just make out a shadow standing on the other side. But by the time she got up and pulled it open, Luke was already half way across the lawn.

"Luke," she called out and he immediately turned around to face her.

"Oh, you are home." He spoke softly and turned and walked back towards her but stopped climbing up to her porch. He shoved both hands into the back pockets on his jeans and scuffed his toe on the bottom step.

"Sorry, I was just…dozing on the couch."

"I um, didn't mean to wake you."

"No it's fine, I shouldn't be napping so late in the evening anyway." Luke looked away and wondered what had possessed him to come here and took a few steps backwards as he tried to ignore the snow that fell softly around him. Realizing he was about to lave she waved her hand at him and jerked her thumb over her shoulder. "Do you want to come in?"

"Sure, well no, I mean…" he started to walk back towards her but stopped again just shy of the steps up to her porch. "I just came by to drop over some coffee." He gestured to a bag he had left on her porch by her door. "You didn't get to have it this morning."

Lorelai smiled and she bent down to pick up the Luke's bag, knowing by the sheer size and weight of it that there was more than just coffee in this bag. "Come in," she said and she stepped back into the hall and held the door open. After only a moment's hesitation he quickly climbed the steps and stood inside her door. "You must be freezing."

"It's not so bad." he said and she quirked an eyebrow at him.

"Come in, the fire is lit." she preceded him into the living room and looked over her shoulder to be sure he was following. He took off his coat gloves and scarf and took one step into her living room before deciding to take off his boots too.

"Snow all over them," he said with a shrug when he saw her looking down at his stockinged feet. He went over to the fire and stood before it for a few moments then turned to see her move up on the couch and make room for him.

"Just a coffee huh?" she said as she pulled the coffee out of the bag.

"Well I thought you might be hungry."

Lorelai smiled up at him as she pulled out a bag of curly fries and a wrapped cheeseburger. She ripped open the bag and poured the fries out then pushed it over towards him to share. He picked at the fries, more to placate her than anything else, and to be sure she ate along with him. He had noticed she looked tired, worn out and had lost weight so if he had to eat curly fries alongside her to be sure she got what little nourishment he could con into her, then so be it.

"You're not at the town meeting tonight?" she asked as she bit into her burger.

"I was there earlier but I left."

"Why?"

"Taylor is cracked."

Lorelai chuckled and he enjoyed the sound of it. "What happened?"

"He wants to hold a ball in the square on new year's eve."

"I think that sounds wonderful."

"He wants to set up heaters around the gazebo, and a few tents on the square and he is looking at getting a string quartet to play music."

"Oh, how nice!" she clapped her hands in front of her and smiled wider.

Luke couldn't help but smile with her. "Well, it seems the whole town thinks so, and they voted for it to happen."

"Let me guess… you didn't?"

"No." He frowned and shook his head and Lorelai felt a bubble of anticipation curl up from her toes as she felt a patented Luke rant coming on. "For one thing it's new year's eve, and most people have better things to be doing than dancing in the freezing cold. For another thing, those gas heaters are terrible for the environment, the output you get for what they cost is ridiculous. Paying that amount of money to heat the outdoors in the middle of December in Connecticut? Madness!" Luke watched her eyes sparkle with joy as he got into his rant and so he held nothing back. The food was forgotten and she turned to face him more fully on the couch with one leg bent underneath her she draped her arm over the back of the couch as he went on to talk about the amount of time it would take to set up the tents, and the interruption to regular business it would cause. As he slowly ran out of steam he looked over to see her rosy cheeks, peaked over her smile and her eyes sparking with mischief.

"You make some good points Luke."

"So you agree, you think it's a waste of time and money?"

"No, I think it is wonderful!" She smiled wider as he rolled his eyes and she couldn't help the chuckle as she reached over for a handful of fries.

"Well, you're just as cracked as the rest of them." He sat back onto the couch and let out a breath that puffed out his cheeks. They sat in silence for a few moments. Then the movie on the tv ended and a soft melodic tune played over the credits. Lorelai turned to the screen if only to stop herself from facing Luke and sighed. "Lorelai…" he said eventually, allowing her a few moments to answer he waited before saying her name again. "Lorelai." This time she turned to face him and he noticed all the mirth was gone from her eyes. "Tell me."

She looked away. "I can't."

"Can't?" he said questioning her.

"Luke, I…" she glanced up at him but only for the briefest of moments, as if to be sure he was still there. "I just can't."

"Ok." he said and they sat in silence for a moment more. ""Well if you decide you can…" She looked up again and nodded but closed her eyes over and looked away. "I should go." When Lorelai made no protest he got up and made his way towards the door. He slipped on his boots but didn't bother to tie them then pulled on his coat and gloves and wrapped the scarf loosely around his neck. "Maybe you'll come by the diner tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I'd like that."

He pulled the door open and fixed his scarf tighter then turned to say good night and watched in horror as her face crumpled and the tears built up behind her eyes. "Lorelai?" he said and immediately he was by her side, his hands gripped her arms and he pulled her into his embrace. She made no move to fight it and simply fell against him as her tears fell. Luke kicked the door closed behind him and walked her back into the living room. He gathered her into his arms and sat onto the couch again, mimicking the position they were in that morning on his couch but this time he wouldn't be leaving. This time he would stay and hold her for as long as she needed him. Her tears subsided and though she was still awake she made no move to leave his embrace. Her grip on his shirt was tight and her body was stiff and immobile on his lap. When her breathing was calm and her head moved to the top of his shoulder he loosened his arms from around her and waited. A few moments more passed before she spoke and even then it was only to say thanks. She spoke it so softly, he almost didn't hear her. Then her hands loosened their grip on his shirt and he felt her pull away.

She slipped off his lap and sat on the couch next to him but Luke was unwilling to let her go entirely and left a hand resting on the top of her shoulder. She dry washed her face with both hands and rested her elbows on her knees as she took a few steadying breaths.

"Luke…"

"What is it Lorelai?"

"Can you…"

"Anything," he uttered the word on the crest of a breath.

"Can you stay with me tonight?" She murmured the words so fast it was hard to decipher what she said but Luke heard the one word that shocked him.

"Stay?" His hand on her shoulder faltered and his grip loosened.

"I don't mean like that, I mean…" she sighed. "I don't know what I mean, but I mean, need…need you to hold me." Fresh tears fell silent over her cheeks. "I'm sorry… I shouldn't have asked this of you."

"No, it's fine." he tried to catch her eyes but she refused to look at him. "I'll stay."

Lorelai nodded her head then clasped her hands together as if they had just conducted a business deal. "Ok, good." She stood up and slapped her thighs. She walked over to the fire and covered it with the protector then turned off the tv. Luke rolled up the packages from the food he brought and carried it into the kitchen to throw out. His heart was hammering in his chest and he hoped to god she couldn't hear it. She had checked the doors and windows by the time he came back to the living room and she took one step up towards her room.

"It's not too early for you is it?" she asked as she glanced at the clock and saw it was only ten to ten.

"No, no it's not." Too early? His mind screamed. He thought it was too late.

"Right yeah, early nights, early mornings."

"Yeah."

She walked up more steps then turned to see him still standing at the bottom watching her. "Coming?" she held a hand out to him. He looked at the hand she offered, then up at her worried and vulnerable face, took a deep breath and went to meet her, clasping her outstretched fingers in his hand in a loose grip, enough to give her the opportunity to pull away if she needed to. At the door to her room her grip tightened on his hand and he thought his heart was going to beat out of the confines of his chest.

She pushed the door open and turned on the overhead light then let go of his hand and gestured towards the bathroom. "I'll um just be a few minutes."

Luke nodded stiffly and waited for the en suite door to close before he really took in the room. It wasn't how he remembered it. Was this a new bedroom set she had gotten to share with him? Nothing, other than the bulging wardrobe was like he remembered and it made his protective shell harden that little bit more. Luke crossed the room to the window seat and sat down with a heavy sigh. He reached down to pull off his boots and socks then shed his coat, scarf, jeans and shirt and dropped them onto the seat beside him. Sitting now, in Lorelai's room wearing a teeshirt and his boxer briefs he didn't know what to do with himself. Did she mean him to get undressed? A sudden wave of panic washed over him and he quickly reached for his jeans to throw them back on, when the bathroom door opened. Loral was wearing a blue and white checkered pair of pajama bottoms and a red long sleeved henley top. her hair was loose about her face and it stole Luke's breath right out of his contracted chest.

"Bathroom is all yours…" she said and she threw a thumb over her shoulder. Luke dropped his jeans onto the window seat and walked quickly into the bathroom, averting his eyes from her as she went over to the bed.

He rinsed his mouth out with mouthwash and splashed water on his face in an effort to either wake himself up from this dream or calm down enough to enjoy it. Taking longer than he actually needed, Luke steeled himself against the vision he knew would greet him when he went back into the room but strangely enough when he did open the door he saw the bed was empty. He looked around the room to see her standing by the window, carefully folding his clothing that he had haphazardly tossed onto the window seat.

"You don't need to do that." he said as he came up behind her. "Leave it."

"I just thought…"

"It's ok, leave it." he grabbed her wrist and she dropped his shirt. He walked her around to the side of the bed and sat her down then sat next to her, both his hands still clasping one of hers. "Are you sure you want me to stay?" She nodded her head mutely and he looked up at her to see more tears building there. "Climb in." He reached behind them and pulled the duvet down then draped it over her and walked around to the other side of the bed. Without giving himself a chance to think this through Luke climbed in and quickly covered himself with the duvet. She had curled up on her side, with her back to him and he curled up behind her, close enough so she knew he was there but not actually touching her. After she had taken in a few shaky breaths and her shoulders shuddered with the effort of keeping her tears at bay, Luke couldn't stand it any longer and closed the final gap between them. She sighed into his embrace as one of his arms slipped beneath her pillow and banded her against him, the other came over her hips and splayed across her abdomen. His face pressed into her back of her head as he whispered support into her ear and held her as tight as he could, and still allow her to breathe. Lorelai sank into his arms, allowed his strength to seep into her and took every morsel of support he offered as she fought back another bout of tears. Her body sagged from exhaustion and she could not fight it anymore so she didn't even try. Luke knew the moment she fell asleep and slowly allowed himself to relax enough and follow her into a fitful slumber.

In the morning Lorelai woke first. And for a few moments she couldn't orientate herself to determine where she was. Her cheek rested on a warm hard t shirt clad chest and she could feel the hair beneath the soft material. Her hands were either side of this broad chest, one up by his shoulder, the other behind her and low gripped the bottom of his tee by his hip. Her whole body rested atop his, one leg nestled between both of his, there other bent up and draped over his hip and on the other side of his leg, holding it against her. His hands were on her. One on the top curve of her ass, beneath the hem of her top, burning heat into her skin, his fingertips brushing the band of her bottoms, the other was on her back, between her shoulders, holding her in place against him. She could feel a slow hot pulse between her own legs and wondered if he could feel it too then realised she could feel him hard and nestled against her crotch. She tried not to move a muscle and just basked in his presence. His breathing was slow, languid and deep and she rose and fell with him.

She collected the sensations of his body against her, his hands all over her and for the first time, in over a week, she felt content. She felt like there was light at the end of this tunnel of darkness she found herself in. She had slept soundly for the first time since…well in a while she admitted and she put that down to the security she felt in Luke's presence, particularly in his arms. She loathed to move but she knew Luke to be an early riser, in more ways than one, and expected him to wake any moment now. She glanced at the clock by her bed and saw it was nearing 5am. Then slowly moved to roll off him but after the slightest movement, his arms tightened on her and held her against him. he let out a sigh and turned his head into hers to inhale through her hair his first morning breath.

Slowly Luke woke to the sensations of her in his arms and at first thought he was dreaming. It wasn't the first time since they broke up that he dreamed of waking with her in his arms, but it was the first time it felt so vivid. He didn't want to open his eyes and dispel the dream just yet but as his senses woke more fully and he realised the sensation of the soft material of her top beneath one hand and her skin beneath the other was way too intense to be a dream. He slowly blinked his eyes open and looked down at the top of her head. He could tell by her breathing that she was awake and wondered why she hadn't rolled off him. With a sigh he rolled over onto his side and released her onto the bed. She moved onto her back and stared up at the ceiling and Luke did the same.

"You sleep ok?" he asked when he could bear the silence no longer.

She nodded slowly and rolled her head to look at him. "You?"

Luke nodded too and turned to look at her. "Lorelai-"

"Don't." She looked away and covered her face in the crook of her elbow.

"Don't what?"

"Don't ask me again. Please don't. I can't. And I don't want to refuse you again."

Luke turned away from her hidden face and took a few deep breaths then without another word he climbed out of the bed and padded across to where he left his clothing and dressed as quickly and quietly as he could. He remained silent as he left the room and then her house.

Lorelai didn't leave the house all day. She called Sookie to explain she wouldn't be in work then she cried herself to sleep. Hours later she got up and ran a bath as she made some pop tarts and coffee. She soaked in the tub for longer than she meant to and dried off enough to pull on some shorts and a tee then curled up in front of the fire to watch some old movies. She was about to order food when a knock on her door startled her and for a moment she thought it was Luke. Coming to see her again under the pretense of bringing her some beloved coffee. She jumped up and hurried over to the door but it wasn't Luke who stood there.

"Chris."

* * *

 **A/N:** Such a cruel cliffhanger! I'll try not to leave you guys waiting too long!


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N** : Double Updates! Also this is a bumper chapter. Whoo Hoo! I'll try to get more up tomorrow too.

* * *

He spoke first. She was still in too much shock to even breathe. "We need to talk."

"You need to leave," she managed to eek out through gritted teeth.

She tried to slam the door in his face but Chris put his foot in the door to stop her. She stepped backwards and he pushed his way in. "Lorelai, I'm not here to hurt you."

"You already did that."

"Lor-"

"Get out!" she cried at him as she backed away from the door and into the living room.

"Lor, we need to talk."

"No, we really don't." Her legs hit the couch and she fell back onto it as Chris loomed ever closer. Her hand grabbed for the phone but he reached down and pulled it out of her grasp then tossed it behind him against the wall. Her heart stopped at the sound of it shattering into pieces.

"Will you just listen to me!" He grabbed her arm and pulled her up to face him. "I need to talk to you." Lorelai remained still, her breath caught in her throat and she waited for him to continue. "What happened the other night…" he looked away from her for a second then turned back. "It was intense."

"Intense…"

"We got a bit carried away."

"We?"

"Lorelai, I love you." He waited for her to respond but she said nothing. "I need you to believe me. We can work this out." he gripped her other arm and pulled her into his embrace but she remained stiff and unyielding. After a moment Chris leaned back and held her at arm's length. "Lor?"

"Let me go."

For a moment he didn't move, his grip on her tightened and he looked down at her lips. for one horrifying moment Lorelai thought he was going to kiss her but instead he released her and stepped back. He rubbed his chin and jaw and gripped his hip.

"Get away from me, get out of my house and never come back." Lorelai stood as she spoke, her voice finding strength from somewhere she couldn't tell where.

"Lor…I love you."

"You raped me."

"I-"

"Get out." She pointed at the door and walked towards him and he stumbled back against the vehemence in her voice until finally he was out of the door. Chris was still standing on the porch when she slammed the door closed and turned off the porch light. Lorelai leaned against the wall behind her and slid to the ground, her mouth open in a silent scream as the bravado swept out of her body only to be replaced by sheer terror. Her head was cradled in her hands and when the cold started to make her shiver Lorelai got up and made her way into the living room. She picked up the pieces of the phone and slipped them back into place then dialed the one number she knew she needed.

After a grueling day in the diner Luke was ready to collapse into bed. His body ached with tension and his grumpiness has found a new level of seething. He thought she might come into the diner at some stage but as the evening rush calmed down and his final few customers left, he realised his hope was futile. He turned the open sign to closed and went about his usual routine to clean up. He was all but done when the phone rang. His heart jolted against his ribs as the thought it might be her but he shoved the hope back in its place and crossed the room to answer it.

"Luke's, we're closed."

"Luke."

"Lorelai?" It sounded like Lorelai but her voice was trembling with emotion.

"Luke…can you…"

"I'll be right there."

Luke slammed down the phone and grabbed his coat then hurried out the back door to his truck to get to her as fast as he could.

He knocked on her door and tried the handle to see if it was open. Her voice called out to him. "In here." He found her huddled against the fire, shivering despite her proximity to the heat.

"Lorelai? what happened?" At the sight of him approaching Lorelai felt herself fall apart again and she melted into his arms, new tears, new sobs but the same raw emotion. He held her against him, kneeling beside her and brushed her hair away from her face. "Shhhh," he whispered into her hair and urged her to settle against him. finally when her breathing relaxed she leaned away from him and rubbed her face.

"I'm sorry," she muttered. "This is awful, what I'm doing to you. I don't want to be that girl."

"What is going on?" he asked, not for the first time in the last few days but this time the emotion diluted his voice and Lorelai realised the pain he was feeling.

"I need to tell you something." she whispered into her own hands and her knees came closer to her chest in a protective motion. "But I need you to not go crazy."

"Crazy?" He shook his head. "Please Lorelai, just tell me."

"Promise me Luke."

"Promise you what?"

"Promise me you won't go crazy…" She looked up at him as her hands dropped from her face and wrapped around her legs.

"Lorelai…" Luke looked away. He felt his frustration getting the better of him and realized he was already halfway to being crazy. "I promise I'll…try not to go crazy." he finally said and Lorelai couldn't help the half smile that curved her lips.

Her breath was shaking as she tried to wrap her head around the words she needed to tell him what had happened. Memories spun and danced around her head and the words evaded her. She tried to focus on one thought, one memory but nothing would hold still enough for her. She inhaled a deep shaky breath but when she exhaled it was with a sob. Luke's resolve melted and he pulled her into his embrace again. "Sorry, you can tell me when you are ready. Tell me when you can." He uttered into her hair but she took a deep breath, pushed him away and rubbed her face vigorously with both hands.

"No, now, I'll tell you now." Luke remained silent and watched her. "Last week, Thursday before last I was home after a pretty rough day at work. I was talking a bath when…um…Chris came home." She glanced up at him as she uttered his name and saw the raw pain flitter across Luke's face. "Seemingly he had a pretty rough day too, he had bruising on his face and knuckles." Luke looked away for a moment in the hope that she wouldn't see the look of satisfaction that was in his eyes. "Anyway, we started…to um…well, you know." Luke nodded, still not meeting her eyes. "But he got rough. Really rough." His breath caught in his throat and Luke frowned. He thought he knew where this conversation was leading but until her words came out of her mouth, he wasn't sure he could believe it. His hands balled up into tight fists on his lap as he waited for her to continue. "I tried to get him to stop, I tried to get away but…he was too strong." Her voice was surprisingly steady, her emotions spent as she tried to detach herself from the words that were streaming out of her mouth. "I couldn't get away…I had to wait until he was finished."

"Jesus…" Luke couldn't help the curse that oozed past his lips. He felt pure anger curl around in the pit of his stomach and he couldn't stand it any longer. He pushed himself up onto his feet and started to pace in the confines of the living room.

"I locked myself into the bathroom. I showered and waited until I was ready to face him again. When I came out and dressed he was gone." She watched him pace and somehow his anger gave her the strength to continue. "I was terrified he would come back, so I jumped in the car and took off."

"That's when you went to New York?"

"That's when I ended up in New York," she corrected.

"Why didn't you come to…"

"You?"

"Yeah. Me."

"Luke," she began but he waved his hand at her and started to pace again.

"Stupid question."

"I just needed to get away. To no one." Lorelai bowed her head and rested it on her crossed arms over the top of her knees. She stared at the flickering flames for a moment and Luke wasn't sure if she was going to continue talking or not. "When I came back Sookie told me he left keys at the Inn. He went to my parents house but god knows what he told them had happened. They called Rory and told her he left me."

"Lorelai…" Luke said and he stopped pacing but she wasn't finished.

He watched as she blinked past heavy tears and turned her head to rest her forehead on her arms to hide them. "He came by tonight."

"What?" Luke all but shouted out and looked around the room absurdly expecting Chris to be standing there.

"He came by, he said we needed to talk, to work things out. He said he still loved me and said we just got carried away." A mirthless laugh came out of her lips and Luke hurried over to kneel beside her again. "I somehow managed to get him out…I don't know how, that's when I called you tonight."

"Lorelai, I don't know what to say."

"You don't need to say anything."

"Did you-"

"No, no police, no hospitals." she said and she shook her head vigorously. "I just want to move past this." Luke nodded his head slowly. "For the first week when I came back from New York I stayed at the Inn."

"You did?"

"I couldn't bear to be in the house."

"And now?"

"I got Tom in. He repainted."

"The color swatches," Luke said softly, remembering their encounter outside the market.

"Yeah. I donated my whole bedroom set to charity and I got a new bed, new dresser, new lockers." she smiled as if she knew it was absurd then shook her head. "I wanted nothing he had been in. Nothing he had touched. Then Sookie took me shopping and we bought new bed clothes…well, new everything," she added with a soft laugh.

"But you still couldn't sleep."

"I still couldn't sleep."

"Why not?"

"I was afraid."

"Of what?" he asked, needing her to continue.

"The memory. That he would come back." Her voice broke at the last word and he reached out to rest a hand on her shoulder. When she flinched under his touch he quickly withdrew it. "Sorry," she said and she looked up at his pained expression. She reached over to take his hands and clasped it in both of hers. "But I wasn't afraid with you. I wasn't afraid in your arms." She glanced up at him and Luke smiled. He reached out with his free hand and pulled her against him, her shoulder against his chest and her head fell against his shoulder. "Will you stay with me again?"

Luke knew there was no way he was going to be able to refuse her. He nodded his head and rested it against the top of hers. they stayed like that until the fire died down enough and stopped offering them any warmth. "C'mon, let's go up," he said and he squeezed her against him one more time before he moved.

Luke urged her to her feet and guided her to the stairs then urged her up while he closed up the house and covered the cooling embers of the fire. Something about the mundane task made his heart ache with a sharp pain. It didn't seem that long ago he was doing this to then join his fiancé in bed. But now he was doing it to join Lorelai. He shook his head with a soft laugh as he slowly climbed the stairs. Just Lorelai. His friend? Not really over the last few months. They had barely spoken. Certainly not his fiancé, not even his girlfriend. His Ex, he realised was the best way to explain it but it was a total juxtaposition to the very fact that he was about to walk into her room and climb into her bed. He found her in the bathroom again and he immediately went over to the window seat to begin undressing. His uneasiness from the night before at the thought of climbing into Chris's bed wasn't there when he realised this was a new bed, one he had never been in, but a new kind of uneasiness was settling in the pit of his stomach. Pure raw rage at the thought of what he had done to her mixed with the fear that she would never get over it.

He was deep in his own thoughts, making plans on how to fix this, fix her, when the bathroom door opened and Lorelai saw him sitting by the window again. She noticed how he was lost in thought as he sat there in his boxers and tee, fingering the buttons of his flannel shirt. "Hey, bathroom is all yours." she said and she went over to sit by the end of the bed. Luke looked up and nodded then went into the bathroom to begin his new absurd nightly routine. When he came out Lorelai was about to climb into bed and he flicked off the light then crossed the darkened room. He climbed in beside her and fixed the duvet over himself then turned his head to face her. She was on her side, this time facing him with both hands under her cheek.

"You ok?" he whispered into the darkness.

"I will be."

"What can I do?

"Hold me."

He lifted his arm and urged her closer then held her against him. She rested one hand on his chest and the other wrapped around her own abdomen to clasp his hand that rested there. His other hand covered the one she rested on his chest and he held it tightly over his heart, hoping against hope she couldn't not feel the trembling of his heart as he tried to control his anger.

"Luke?"

"Hmm?"

"Thank you."

"Anytime Lorelai." he turned his head into her hair and without caring if she felt it or not, he pressed a soft kiss onto the top of her head. Lorelai felt it and she melted into him at the sensation of it. She let her heavy eyes, tired and sore from all the spent emotion close over and relaxed into his heat. Luke's grip on her tightened and he held her as close as he could, for as long as he could. It was a long, sleepless night.

He didn't even dare close his eyes because he knew what he would see when he did. And he knew that if he even thought about it for a moment he was liable to explode. So he kept them open. He concentrated on keeping her body against his, keeping her soft and pliant, relaxed and warm for as long as she needed it. Her breathing was slow and deep and she curled against him, one leg lifted up to rest across his thighs and he sighed at the familiar sensation. Lorelai slept the whole night long, waking only once and only long enough to brush a soft kiss into his chest before releasing him and rolling away, but reached behind for him to follow and fell back into a deep sleep as soon as he enveloped her. When she finally woke Lorelai sighed at the sensation of his arms curling around her and pulled them even tighter.

"Morning." he whispered.

"Morning."

"You slept well."

"Yeah, I did."

He pushed away from her and gave her space and she rolled onto her back next to him. He propped his head up on one hand and looked down at her. Every sinew in his body told him to lean down and kiss her but something was holding him back. "I should be going," he said eventually, his words a polar opposite to what he actually wanted to do.

"Ok."

He waited a moment more, basked in the delicious torture of being this close to her again then rolled away and climbed out of bed. This time his dressing was not as quick, but just as quiet. She watched him carefully, wanting to ask him to stay but not really knowing what it meant, so instead she just let him dress. He sat on the window seat and put on his boots then looked up. She was still watching him and something in her eyes stopped him from leaving.

"You ok?" He asked and he crossed the room to sit on the side of the bed next to her. She nodded her head and offered him a half smile. "What is it?"

"You." she said simply.

Luke frowned. "Me?"

Lorelai nodded. She lifted a hand up to cup his face and he nuzzled his cheek into her palm. She sat up and looped her arms around his neck in a loose hug and he sank into it, circling her waist with his arms. They sat like that for a few minutes then she pulled back, without releasing him completely, leaned in to press a soft kiss to his temple before falling back into her bed.

Luke looked down at her for a moment then got up and walked to the door. "You'll be in later?" She nodded and he smiled then lifted his hand in a half wave before he left.

Lorelai stood outside the diner just after lunch and looked in at the thinning crowd. Kirk was at the counter, Taylor and Gypsy were at the table behind the door and Tom sat in the back with his newspaper. She steeled herself against the butterflies in her stomach and pushed the door open, loving the familiarity of the bells as she walked in. Luke was behind the counter, working on the till and he came round to greet her and lead her to an empty table.

"Hey," he said and seemed utterly pleased that she was there. Lorelai basked in his attention and smiled warmly up at him. "Coffee?" Lorelai nodded enthusiastically and watched as he went to grab a mug and the coffee pot. He poured it out for her then placed the pot on the table and reached down for the note pad that was tucked into the front of his jeans. "What'll you be having?"

"A burger?"

"Fries?" She nodded and he jotted it down then handed the order into Cesar to get cooking as he moved around the room refilling coffee. Tom finished his lunch and went to pay then waved at Lorelai as he left the room. She looked over at Taylor and Gypsy who were arguing about some power generators she guessed would be needed for the winter ball. Kirk was writing stuff into a notebook, uncharacteristically quiet but she enjoyed the reprieve from his madness and simply looked out the window at the town going by. Soon Luke arrived with her food and left her alone to eat it. He refilled her coffee once but ultimately left her alone. When she was done, he collected her plate and refilled her coffee again then returned to his receipts and collected the bill from both Taylor and Gypsy and finally kirk. When no one was left, Lorelai went up to pay her own bill, a nervous smile on her lips as she approached the counter.

"Was everything ok?" he asked as he rang her up.

"Delicious, as always." Luke smiled and she was sure she caught his chest puffing out ever so slightly with pride. She handed him over a few bills and he gave her back her change and she turned on her heel to leave. "Um, Luke?" she asked as she pulled the door open and looked over her shoulder at him. He looked up from his work on the till and lifted his eyebrows in anticipation of her question. "Will I see you tonight?"

The meaning of her question confused him for a moment and he frowned, but at the dawning of what she meant he slowly nodded his head and smiled. She returned his smile with one of her own, though hers was more drenched in relief, then waved goodbye and left. Luke watched her until she was out of sight and wondered how he had gotten himself into this mess.

Nightly visits to Lorelai's bed was something he had been thinking about since, well forever he admitted. But this wasn't quite what he had expected. This wasn't the tone he expected to be surrounded by when he would go to her bed. Luke shook his head to get out of his thoughts and focused back on the receipts he was counting. He looked at the clock and wondered, how early was too early to turn up.

When the diner closed Luke went up to his apartment and showered. His body ached from tiredness but nothing was going to get in his way of turning up to her house. Against the protesting muscles he dressed and ambled down the stairs. His stomach was gurgling with anticipation as he slipped on his jacket then at the last minute, went into the diner and bagged a couple of donuts before going out the back to his truck.

At her house he saw her jeep parked in the garden and knew she was back from work already. He climbed the porch and knocked gently on the door, shifting his weight from one foot to the other as he waited. Lorelai pulled the door open and waved him in. She was on the phone so he walked past her and into the kitchen to start making the coffee he knew she would be craving. He tried not to listen to her conversation but it was hard not to when her voice was loud and sharp.

"I don't care what he told you, I don't care what you think. It's over." For one blood boiling moment Luke thought she was talking to Chris and he wanted to rip the phone out of her hand and tell him what he thought of him. "Mom, why don't you ask Chris exactly why I kicked him out of my house the other night. Why don't you ask him why he moved back to Boston. Then if you still feel like defending him…well, if you do, then don't call me."

Luke heard her put the phone back into its cradle and the soft squeak of the phone table as she leaned against it. He imagined her leaning with her head hung low, her chin on her chest, her eyes closed and he couldn't help to peer around the archway to see. Sure enough, it was just like he had thought and without hesitation he stopped what he was doing and took a few long strides to stand before her. His hands gripped her shoulders and he pulled her against him. She held back the tears and took a few shaky breaths then rested her hands flat against his chest and pushed him back.

"I'm ok." she said eventually though her voice told him otherwise.

"I made you coffee," he said simply, offering her comfort in the only way he knew how. When she smiled he looked away. "And I brought you a couple of donuts." Her smile widened and he turned towards the kitchen to get the promised goods. She followed close behind and all but snatched the Luke's bag out of his hand.

"Oh! Sprinkles!" she took the donut out and bit into it then smiled up at him with a mouth full. The icing and sprinkles covered her upper lip and without thinking he reached up and wiped it with the pad of his thumb. Lorelai's smile faltered and Luke pulled his hand away.

"Your coffee," he said as he handed her a cup then quickly made some tea for himself and focused on the hot liquid in his hands.

"How was the diner today?" She sat at the table and bit into her donut again.

"The usual craziness, amplified somewhat by Taylor and this winter ball." He leaned back against the kitchen counter, crossing his legs at his ankles.

"Yeah?"

"I think Gypsy might beat me to it and strangle him before the week is out."

Lorelai laughed and he loved the simple sound of it. "I heard them arguing about power strips earlier."

"Power strips, then the band, tent placement, then Ms Patty came in and started a new round of arguments about tent placements."

"Wow, busy day then."

"Well no, they took up 4 tables and only ordered a few coffees," he said with a frown and a dismissive shake of his head. Hs sipped his tea as she finished the first donut. "How about you, how was the Inn?"

"It's always quiet this time of year. People tend to stay with family at christmas time." Her voice faded away and the somewhat light tone they shared diminished. Lorelai focused on her coffee as her finger ran over the powdered top of the other donut. She lifted the finger to her lips and licked the confectionary off then glanced up at him.

"Have you thought about…talking to someone?" Luke said softly, half afraid she would hear him.

"I don't need that. I don't want it."

"Lorelai-"

"Luke, please." she rubbed the donut again with her finger. "If I talk about it, it makes it real."

"It was real."

"If I talk about it, then it actually happened."

"It did happen."

"Maybe I was-"

"Don't you dare." Luke put his cup down and crossed the room and pulled a chair out to sit next to her. He pushed her coffee and the donut aside and grabs both of her hands to pull her to face him, though she hung her head low and refused to look up at him. "Don't even for one second think that you caused this. That you lured him into some kind of frenzy." He tugged her hand to make her look up but she still refused so he curled one finger below her chin and forced her to face him. "This is not your fault Lorelai, this was all his doing."

"But I was there, I was naked, we were having sex Luke!" she shouted, half at herself, vocalizing the blame she had been feeling, and half at him, wanting him to know what she had done to deserve this.

"Did you tell him to stop?" he said evenly. she stared at him, confused by his words, his calm cool voice. "Lorelai, did you tell him to stop?" She nodded her head, causing a single tear from each eye to trail over her cheeks and drop off her jaw. "Then that's the end of it." He spoke matter of factly. His calm voice was betrayed only by the tight grip he held on her hands. "I know you don't want to go to the police."

"Luke, no."

"I know you don't want to," he pressed on, ignoring her protest. "But you should get a restraining order against him."

"No, he would never-"

"He already did, Lorelai." For a split second the fire in his eyes was plain to see and she leaned away from it, from him, from the intensity of it all. "You need to find peace, to move on, and maybe that can help you."

Lorelai didn't have anything to say to that. She knew he was right, she knew she couldn't expect Luke to lie next to her in her bed forever, but she wasn't ready just yet to give him up. That thought startled her and she shook her head to try make room for some clarity.

"Lorelai?" He watched her carefully, the thoughts that were swirling around her head, darkening her eyes and pushing out fresh tears.

"Okay."

"Okay?"

"I will. I'll get the restraining order."

Luke squeezed her hands and sat back into his own seat. both of them were breathing unevenly, trying to take what solace they could from each other's presence and when she slipped her hands out of his and rubbed her cheeks dry she looked up at him and noticed for the first time how tired he looked.

"We should go up." She moved her head towards the stairs and he nodded slowly. "You go up first, I'll just clear this up and be right behind you."

"Actually I wanted to maybe...um," he looked behind her at the door then back at her. "I thought I would fix your locks."

"Fix them?"

"Well change them."

"Change them?"

"I just… would feel much better. Do you mind?" Lorelai stared at him, the worry etched around his eyes, and all over his face. Slowly she shook her head and he got up to go out to his truck. She cleared up the living room and kitchen as he worked on the front door, quickly switching out the lock then doing the same on the back door. When he was finished he returned his toolbox to his truck then came back with four keys on a metal ring.

"Here, two for each door, and I thought you might need a copy for Rory too." She took the keys he held out and looked down at them in her hand then back up at him. "You ok?" She nodded, too afraid to speak lest her voice draw her tears out. "You ready to go up?"

"Go, I'll be right up." She said and she turned away to put the keys into her bag.

Reluctantly Luke went up and again found himself undressing in Lorelai's bedroom. He splashed water on his face and rinsed his mouth out with mouthwash then climbed into her bed, feeling a strange sensation of being there without her. He heard her move around downstairs then make her way up to her room. He found himself wondering where to put his hands. He had them flat by his side, then connected on his stomach, he moved one behind his head then the other then rested them on his chest. When she walked in he had one on his chest and the other rubbed his face.

Lorelai smiled shyly at him then went to her dresser to grab her things before slipping into the bathroom. She went through her usual routine and dressed in a clean pair of checkered black and red pajama shorts and a black tank top then steeled herself with a steadying breath and went out to her room. He had his face buried in the crook of one elbow and his other hand was resting on his chest. She crossed to the bed and slowly climbed in and lay on her back next to him.

"Tired?" she asked, her voice but a whisper.

"Hmmm," he hummed and dropped his arm to his side and rolled his head to look at her with a small smile.

"C'm'ere," she said and she lifted one arm high in an invitation. He looked up at her face for a moment then rolled onto his side towards her and rested his head on the front of her shoulder. "Closer…" she urged, her hand came down his back and pressed him to roll ever closer. He tried to keep some distance between them but her hands were insistent and her voice enticing so he acquiesced to her desire and pressed against her as tight as he could. His head rested on her chest, just against the soft curve of the top of her breast. One arm was draped across her stomach and curled around her and she held it in place with a tight grip, the other was under the pillow, pinned by her head. He had one leg curled over her thighs the other down against hers. She held onto him, one hand on his back rubbing soft circles between his shoulders, and she pressed her cheek against the top of his head. "Go to sleep," she whispered.

"I thought I was here to hold you," he said after moment of silence.

"Maybe we can just hold each other," she replied and tightened her grip on him.

Luke's sleep was deep. The ache in his muscles faded and when he finally woke his whole body felt heavy and languid. He slowly came to his senses and realized they had barely moved throughout the night. The light in her room told him it was morning and later than his usual wake up time, but he dampened down his panic by remembering he had asked Cesar to open the diner. He opened his eyes more fully and found he had settled himself over her more than when he had fallen asleep. His head was in the centre of her chest, nestled between her breasts and his eyes in line with her taut nipple, protruding from the light material of her tank top. His hand had snaked under her top and was curled around her side on her hot skin, his thumb dangerously close to the underside of her breast. One of his legs had dropped between both of hers and as his mind clocked all the pressure points of his body he realised his fully erect cock was pressing into her hip. He tried to keep his breathing even and willed his erection to fade before she woke up but her body was warm, soft, pliant and curled towards him.

As she started to wake Lorelai felt a stretch curling her toes, stretching her legs, rolling her hips and arching her back until it found its release with a contented sigh. "Morning," she said softly. Luke went to move off her but she rolled her hips and arms towards him and hugged him tightly. He was stiff and unresponsive and she began to wonder if he was awake at all. She lifted her head to see his face and saw his eyes wide open. "Sleep ok?" He nodded but immediately regretted that decision as her breasts moved against his cheek. She rubbed his back with her hand and closed her eyes over to bask in his embrace. She knew these moments were soon going to be over and what comfort he was offering her was fleeting so she wanted to revel in it for as long as she could.

Luke lay unmoving next to her. He wanted to roll away from her, hide his condition from her but he knew if he rolled away he would need to get out of bed. He looked at the window and realized he would have to walk around the bed to get dressed and there was no way he could hide it from her then. So he held on. Held onto the one thing that he knew was causing his condition. Her body. Her. Lorelai let her mind wander as she rested her cheek against the top of his head and wondered briefly why he wasn't getting up like he did the other mornings. She loved the feel of his head, heavy on her breasts, his warm breath through her top and his chest rising and falling against her side. On her other side his fingers were splayed out on her back and his thumb rubbed her softly over the ripple of her ribs, just under her breasts. His leg, nestled between hers, was a startling sensation, and she wondered briefly if his thigh could feel the heat emanating from her core and it was only then she realised why he wasn't moving. She glanced down at his head but his eyes had closed over and she felt his jaw clench against her and she realised he was embarrassed.

The feeling of his cock against her hip was incredibly erotic and in the past, when they shared mornings like this, she would ease his tension in a myriad of ways but those days were gone. Now, although she was holding him in her bed, the emotions that swirled around them were not contentment or shared love. They were tight, sharp raw emotions. Her fear, her self blame, her doubt, clouded only by his anger and feeling of futility. She wanted to ease his pain, but no longer knew how.

"I'm going to go grab a shower." she said and she loathed the moment he started to roll away from her. So much that she grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back. "Wait." He lifted his head and looked up to her questioningly. "Don't move, not yet."

"I thought you were going to shower?"

"Not yet." She looped her arms around the top of his shoulders and snuggled lower to hug him against her. Luke took the opportunity to move his hips away from her but it was no use, she followed. He gripped her hip and held her still as her wiggling body tried to find that one spot of comfort. She buried her face in the crook of his neck and Luke sighed at the sensation of her warm breath against him and he stopped fighting it. There was no way she didn't already feel his erection so he stopped trying to hide it and instead just held onto her. One of his arms curled around her lower back and the other across her shoulders and he sighed as he melted into her embrace. For a few moments neither of them moved, then he felt what he thought was a kiss against his neck. Luke's eyes shot open and he held his breath until he felt it again. And when he did his arms tightened around her.

"Lorelai." he spoke softly into the cool morning air and when he felt her tongue appear to lick the spot she had kissed he groaned and inadvertently rolled his hips towards her. She sighed against his neck and he got bolder. His hand moved down her back over the curve of her ass and pressed her against his erection eliciting a soft moan out of her. Luke moved his head to kiss her neck, her jaw, her lobe, her cheek and finally her lips. She sighed into his kiss and parted her lips to welcome his tongue into the warm wetness of her mouth.

Her hands moved against his back, pulling at the material of his tee to yank it off him and he released her only long enough to toss it aside then immediately found her again and pulled her top off her. He pressed her naked chest against his and moaned when she arched into him. She caught her moan with her open mouth and caressed his tongue with her own. His hand moved down to her as and slipped under the band of her shorts and she instinctively moved her leg over his hip. They both groaned at the familiar sensation of their genitals lining up, despite the material barriers between them. She pulled down one side of his boxers as she rolled her hips towards him, her lips clashing with his in hurry urgent kisses.

"Lorelai, wait…" He tried to pull away from her but she was not giving him an inch.

"I want you," she said, breathless words murmured against his lips as her tongue appeared to caress his again. He moved her hips back to make room for her hand and slipped it in below his boxers to grab him tightly. Luke couldn't help his body's reaction, as his hips thrust into her hand and his moan pushed past his lips.

"Are you sure?" he asked, even as his hands pulled at her shorts.

"Yes Luke, I'm sure…" she moved back off him and pulled her shorts off then kicked them aside and rolled back to him. He lay unmoving, his boxers askew on his legs but she didn't hesitate and pulled them down far enough for him to kick them aside. "Now, I want you now." She rolled him onto his back and straddled his hips. She stroked his cock in sure tight strokes as she lifted herself up and poised him at her entrance, but before he could grab her hips and hold her in place she plunged down onto him and he lost his train of thought. She didn't wait for his compliance before lifting up and plunging back down onto him in a frantic speed. She sat up straighter, tossed her head back and let her moans float straight up to the ceiling.

"Lorelai," he gasped as he tried to get her to slow down but her movements were erratic and greedy. "Lorelai!" he said again, this time more sternly and when she still didn't respond he sat up, wrapped his arms around her and rolled over to switch their positions. He pinned her down with his full weight and watched as she rolled her head towards him and opened her eyes. He held her gaze for a moment without moving then slowly pulled out of her and just as slowly slid back in, all the while keeping his eyes connected on hers. She urged him to speed up, whimpered softly, clawed at his back and rolled her hips against him but he was adamant this was going to go slowly. Incredibly slowly. Slow enough that if she changed her mind, needed him to stop he could do so in an instant. He lifted himself off her and balanced on one hand that was planted on the bed next to her head which the other gripped her hip in an effort to calm her fitful movements.

"Harder," she pleaded but he shook his head. "Faster, please!" she begged and though every cell in his being wanted to pound into her he held back. "Luke please, I need…"

"Shhh," he said through gritted teeth as he concentrated on hitting her in all the right angles but no matter what he did, how he moved or rolled his hips her expression remained pained. "Lorelai," he said and she opened her eyes. What he saw there was not the passion he expected instead it was pure frustration and, he thought with a tinge of regret, fear. He stopped moving and she whimpered against his ear, rolled her hips to entice him back.

"C'mon, harder."

"No." he moved away and she clawed at him to get him back.

"Luke," she rolled towards him but he was already sitting up on the edge of the bed and lifted his ass up high enough to pull on his boxers.

"No Lorelai." He stood up and walked over to his clothing and started to dress. "I won't do it."

"What?" she sat up and pulled the sheet around her body.

"I won't fuck you like some kind of ill conceived self punishment you think you deserve." he yanked up his jeans and carefully covered his still erect cock as he zipped up and bent to slip on his boots.

"Luke…"

He grabbed his shirt and pulled it on, buttoned it quickly and turned to look at her. He stood by the bed and leaned over her, close enough that she could feel his breath against her face. "I'll fuck you hard and fast if that's what you want from me, but not because you think you don't deserve better." He stared at her for a moment as his words sank in then stood and walked out of the room.


	7. Chapter 7

Lorelai stayed in place for a while until the sound of his truck was long gone then she dragged herself through her morning routine, showered and dressed and hurried to work. All day there she kept a low profile, eating a quiet lunch with Sookie on the heated porch then escaping back to her office to look after the mundane paperwork of the Inn. By the time it came to leave she pulled on her coat and went into the kitchen to find Sookie knee deep in menu arrangements. She bid her goodbye and took off in her jeep daring herself to drive through town and past the diner. The lights were on and she spotted Luke leaning at the end of the counter with the paper in front of him. He was eating an apple and flipped quickly through the pages in a way that showed he wasn't really reading it. She was tempted to go into him but after their altercation that morning she decided against it. Instead she drove home. She opened a beer and ran a bath then ordered a pizza and turned on the tv. A quiet night, home alone, like she had craved in the past when Chris was living here. But now, she looked over her shoulder at every sound and wondered if she would manage to get to sleep tonight.

Meanwhile Luke paced his apartment. He closed the diner late, hoping she would come in after work but she never showed. Now he wondered if he should call around. He knew she was scared to be alone, he knew she was having trouble sleeping but he needed her to call him. Show him she needed him, not just any warm body. He wasn't prepared to dole out punishment to her for something she had no control over. He didn't want to be just a fuck for her. He shocked himself with that revelation and paused in his pacing. Luke patted his pockets and found his keys then grabbed his jacket and hurried out to his truck.

When Lorelai heard a car pulling up outside her house a bubble of hope rose up from her toes. She hurried up to the door and pulled it open but as Chris stepped onto her porch she tried to close it over again. Then behind him her mother appeared and she was frozen in place.

"Lorelai!" her mother wailed as Lorelai tried to close the door.

"What do you want?!" she screeched back, not caring that the neighbors could hear.

"I want you to invite us in, and sit down to talk through this."

"Talk through this?" Lorelai laughed mirthlessly. "Talk through how he raped me?"

"Lorelai!" her mother admonished her but Lorelai just turned away.

"Go home, both of you." She tried to close the door behind her but Chris stopped it from slamming and followed her into the house, her mother hot on his heels. "If you don't leave, I will be calling the police."

"Lor, please. Can we just talk?"

"Lorelai, listen to him!" her mother spoke sharply.

"For god's sake!" Lorelai implored. "I'm not interested in listening to you, or him. It's over."

"It's not over," Chris said and he reached out to grab her arm. "You need to listen to me."

"No, she doesn't."

Everyone turned to see Luke standing in the doorway and Lorelai took the opportunity to shake her arm free of Chris's grasp and step away from him. Luke's feet were planted and his arms were down by his sides, hands balled into tight fists as he stared at Chris with fire of fury in his eyes.

"This is none of your business," Chris said over his shoulder then turned back to Lorelai but Luke took no heed and walked into the room. He stood in front of Lorelai, physically putting himself between her and the others.

"I'm making it my business." His voice was low and dangerous. "And I'm saying you both need to leave."

"Who do you think you are?" her mother said, shrill anger diluting her tone.

"I'm her friend. Which is more than you can say."

"Why I never-"

"Well now you do, so leave." Luke stepped back, reaching behind himself to be sure Lorelai was still there and pulled her against him. Her hands were on his sides, gripping bunches of his shirt to hold him in place, and her forehead rested against his back between his shoulder blades. Luke stared between Chris and her mother and the long silence started to get heavy with tension until finally Lorelai's mother grabbed Chris's arm and pulled him back.

"Lorelai, your father and I want you to come to dinner tomorrow night." She got to the door and brushed down the front of her coat. "Dinner will be served at 7."

Lorelai peeked out from behind Luke and frowned at her mother, inviting her to dinner like this situation had never happened. When the door closed she sagged a little against Luke and he stood unmoving offering her all the support she needed. When her arms snaked around him and she hugged him from behind, he turned in the circle of her arms and held her close, one arm across her shoulders, the other cradled her head to his chest..

"Lorelai, I'm sorry."

"Shhh," she said, thinking he meant what happened that morning.

"No Lorelai, listen to me." He gripped her shoulders and held her away from him then took a deep breath and released it with puffy cheeks. "Come here, sit down." he guided her over to the couch and pushed her into the cushions then followed and sat right next to her. "That night…when you and he…the night you told me about."

"Yeah."

"You said he came home with bruises on his face."

"Yeah."

"That was me."

"What?"

"I was coming home from Liz's. We had a family dinner and swapped gifts as she was going to TJ's family for christmas."

"Luke…"

"Anyway I was parking outside the diner and I saw him." Luke took another breath. "He saw me and I dunno what happened… he just started for me."

"What?"

"I went for him too." He ducked his head away from her confused gaze. "Something in me snapped. Seeing him with you, seeing him in town, just knowing he was giving you what I couldn't. It was driving me insane and when I saw him that night…I snapped."

"Why that night?"

"Doula."

"Huh?"

"Remember how I met you outside the market with Doula, and you picked her up, and held her, and you were standing there next to me and I thought wow, this is what I missed out on. Not just you, not just being with you, being married to you but the whole package. I thought I had protected myself enough. I thought I had managed to block out all the emotion when it came to you, but it all came flooding back and I broke."

"You broke."

"My heart did." He glanced up at her and saw her expression soften. "I guess something in him snapped too."

"You fought him? In the street?"

"Well no, in the square." He shrugged. "I mean it wasn't exactly a boxing match. Nothing about this was coordinated but we each landed a few hits."

"Luke, why are you telling me this?"

"Because, I can't help but wonder…I can't help but wonder that I hadn't riled him up before he came back here, back to you."

"Luke!"

"Maybe if I had just walked away that night in the square-"

"Luke, stop!" she all but shouted at him. She tugged his shoulder and pulled him to face her. "What Chris did, was his own doing."

"It was?" he said casting her a sideways glance.

"Yes!" she implored and tightened her grip on his arm. "Of course it was, nothing you said or did to him excuses his act."

"What about you?" he asked and he looked at her turning his body a little more to face her, confront her. Too late Lorelai realised what he had done, how he had gotten her to blame only Chris for his actions. "You realise that if my actions had no part in it, neither did yours."

Lorelai nodded her head slowly. "I'm beginning to understand that."

"Good." Luke watched her for a moment then dropped his gaze before he continued. "Lorelai…I'm sorry."

"About?"

"This morning."

"Luke, don't. I'm the one who should be apologizing."

"I shouldn't have said what I said, I should have given you space."

"Luke," she said with a chuckle. "If I recall correctly, you tried to give me space, and I pulled you back." Luke chuckled with her and a soft blush colored his cheeks. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry I tried to push you into something neither of us were ready for."

"How about we just forget it happened?" he offered but she frowned and shook her head a little. "What?"

"I don't want to forget it," she said simply. "I don't want to forget anything I shared with you."

"Lorelai, you need time-"

"No, I've already had too much time. What I need now is you."

Luke couldn't help the smile that curved his lips and he pulled her into his embrace. He kissed the top of her head and held her tight against him. They stayed like that for a long time and she relished the warmth from his body seeping into hers. After a while she pushed away and sat up.

"But I think you are right. I think we should take it slow."

"It?" he questioned, needing to know exactly what they were talking about.

"This, you, me, us."

"Us."

"That is, if that's what you want."

"It is, it is what I want." He spoke quickly and she smiled at his haste.

"Me too." She reached up and kissed his cheek.

For a moment he said nothing but that pesky moral voice in the back of his head wouldn't stop. "Lorelai…" he said quietly and she turned her head to look up at him with a tired but warm smile. "You're married."

Her smile fell and she looked away. Her fingers connected between her knees and she took a few deep breaths ten nodded her head and looked at him sideways. "Yeah, but not for long."

"I think we should take it slow." He said, and rested a hand on her back, reassuring her he was still there.

"Slow, good." she smiled a little but it wasn't the warm smile she wore before. "Me too."

"Good." He tugged her elbow to get her to face him then pulled her closer to hug her tightly and kissed the top of her head and when she yawned not for the first time, Luke sat up with her and rubbed her shoulders. "You should go up to bed, and I should go home."

"Stay," she urged quietly.

"I shouldn't, we need to take it slow, remember?"

"Not that slow!" she said with a soft chuckle.

"I want to do this right Lorelai."

"Okay. Me too." They both stood and she walked him to the door. In the hallway before he opened the door he cupped her face in his hands and held her still as he looked down at her and studied her features. He lowered his head and kissed her tenderly, his lips brushed hers softly and he tried desperately not to deepen it. But she had no such reservations. Her arms came up his back and her hands gripped his shoulders as she stood on tiptoes and parted her lips. Her tongue met his in soft slow caresses and when she moaned into his mouth he reciprocated by walking her backwards and pushing her against the wall. His body held hers in place and his hands moved down her sides to her hips and gripped her tightly.

"This isn't the slow pace I had anticipated." he uttered, breaking his lips from her long enough to breathe.

"We should…"

"Stop?"

"Go upstairs."

Luke chuckled and leaned down to kiss her again, this time keeping his lips together, holding hers in place then placed both hands on the wall behind her head and moved back away far enough to not be touching her. "I'm going to leave."

"You sure?"

"No." He kissed her again and this time moved right back, keeping a few meters between them. "But I'm still going."

"Ok." she smiled and opened the door for him. "Thanks Luke."

"You'll call me?" he asked, holding the door with one hand to stop her from closing it. "If anything happens, or if nothing happens and you just need to talk…just call me?"

"I will."

"See you tomorrow Lorelai." He proffered a soft kiss on her cheek then smiled and left.

Lorelai closed the door softly in his wake then went up to her room and climbed into bed. The evening washed over her in series of memories. Each one vivid and strong, eliciting such different emotions but the one that stayed with her the most was of sitting with Luke on the couch. His arms around her protectively holding her close. She closed her eyes with a smile and thought of his arms, his heat, his lips as slumber claimed her.

In the morning Lorelei woke and her first thought was where Luke might be. She looked at the bathroom but saw the door open and the light off and only then remembered he left the night before and was even more surprised that she managed to get some sleep. She climbed out of bed with a smile and showered and dressed quickly, eager to get to the diner before work.

Once there she claimed a spot at the end of the counter and waited for Luke to come over. When he did they both smiled at each other like teenagers. Luke looked away first, reached for a mug and poured her a cup of coffee and she took it from his hands, making sure her fingers brushed his in doing so.

"Breakfast?"

"Pancakes."

Luke nodded then went into the kitchen to place her order and worked around the diner tending to the other customers. Later when he delivered her pancakes he stayed next to her and leaned on the counter to offer what he was about to say as much privacy as he could. "You sleep ok?" Lorelai nodded. "Good."

"You?"

Luke shrugged. "Not as well as I did the night before." Lorelai covered his hand on the counter with her own and squeezed his fingers. But when a customer came up to the till he moved away to take their payment. The customers kept him busy for the rest of her stay and it was with great reluctance that she needed to get up and leave for work. She met him by the till and she paid for her food but before she left he leaned over the top of the till. "Do you come by for dinner later?"

"In the diner?"

"I was thinking more like upstairs."

"Yeah?" she smiled.

"Cesar is closing tonight, because he wants time off to go to the ball on Saturday."

"Won't you be closed on saturday?"

"Yeah, but I didn't tell him that."

"So you're cooking for me?"

"That was the plan."

"Okay. 7?"

"Perfect. Come right on up when you get here."

Lorelai nodded then waved and left the diner, a spring in her step that had been missing for quite some time. As she walked through the Inn and met Sookie in the kitchen to get some coffee her friend commented on her demeanor.

"You're mood has improved."

"Everything has improved." She sipped her coffee and leaned against the counter as Sookie focused on chopping veg for the lunch menu.

"What happened?"

"Chris came by."

"What?" Sookie dropped the knife and turned to face her friend a deep frown etched on her face. "You made up with Chris?"

"What? No! God no. Luke."

"What?" Sookie's voice raised another octave. "What about Luke?"

"I made up with Luke."

"Lorelai Victoria Gilmore…what the hell has been going on?" Lorelai laughed and patted her friend on the shoulder. She urged sookie to sit down and proceeded to tell her everything that had happened in the last few days with Luke and by the end Sookie was smiling and clapping her hands gleefully. "I knew it!"

"Stop, you knew nothing!" Lorelai sipped her coffee.

"I knew you two were perfect for each other. I just knew it."

Lorelai laughed again. "We're having dinner Sookie, not getting married."

"Not yet anyway."

"Oh hush you," she said and she slapped her friend playfully.

"Just in time for the ball on Saturday too."

"As if Luke would even dream of going to that."

"Lorelai, with you on his arm Luke would do anything." Lorelai looked away hoping sookie wouldn't see the hope in her eyes. "When is Rory coming home?"

"Tomorrow."

"Then you should be home making up with Luke while you have the house to yourself," Sookie said with a laugh.

"I'm going to work now." Lorelai nudged her friend as she walked by and went into her office. She grabbed the phone book and rifled through the pages to get to the section she needed. She read the various ads and names and finally settled on the one that made her smile. "Balboa Solicitors - We'll fight for you!" she read as she dialed the number. She followed the infuriating recorded message to get through to the department she needed and finally got speaking to a lawyer.

After what felt like hours on the call, answering questions about names, dates, papers, and licenses Lorelai put the phone back on it's cradle and sank into her chair. The soft leather welcomed her weight and she slowly swiveled it around to face out the window. Her frown was etched onto her head but her heart, which hammered in her chest felt lighter than it has in a long time.

She glanced up at the clock and counted the hours until she would be able to see Luke again and wondered if she would be able to hold in her news for that long. Lorelai shook her head to refocus her thoughts, sat up straighter then turned back to her desk and tried to get back to work, all the while trying not to watch the clock until she could leave.

By quarter to seven Luke was showered, changed and had dinner almost ready. He eagerly awaited her arrival and found himself all but pacing. When he heard footsteps on the stairs outside his apartment he rushed over and pulled the door open just before she could knock.

"Come in," he said after she recovered from being startled by his sudden presence. When he closed the door behind her, he tugged on her jacket to take it off her and hung it on the rack next to his. "Cold out?"

"Freezing." she rubbed her hands together and he took them in his, raised them up to his mouth and blew hot air over them in an attempt to warm them up.

"Sit down over here, dinner is ready and it will warm you right up." He ushered her over to a chair and dished out a helping of beef & larger stew then sat next to her and passed her some bread rolls.

"This smells wonderful," she said as she leaned over it and inhaled deeply.

"Tastes pretty good too," he said with a smile that she quickly returned.

They are with companionable chatter and after Luke cleared the table as Lorelai poured them each another glass of wine. She carried them over to the couch and propped her feet up onto the coffee table, passing him his glass when he sat next to her, mirroring her pose. With their shoulders and hips touching, Luke basked in her presence and let out a contented sigh.

She reached a hand out to him and he took it, interlocking their fingers and kissed her knuckles before dropping it onto his lap. He glanced over at her and found her watching him with a smile.

"What?"

"I talked to Sookie today."

"Oh?"

"I told her about what's been happening."

"She knew about…"

"Yeah she knew about it." Lorelai coughed through her uneasiness and he squeezed her hand. "I told her about you, about everything you did for me. About Chris turning up again."

"And um…what did she say about..all that?"

"She was delighted about you. Delighted we were trying again."

"Good." Luke squeezed her hand again.

"She thinks the restraining order is a good idea." Lorelai sipped her wine. "I wonder what Rory will say."

"About the restraining order?"

"About everything."

They both fell into a heavy silence.

"What are you going to tell her?" he asked in a low hushed voice, as if he was afraid to hear her answer.

"I don't know." she spoke honestly and only after a long heavy silence.

Luke looked down at their interlocked hands, raised them up to his lips and kissed her knuckles then squeezed it tightly and lowered it back to his lap. She leaned towards him and dropped her head onto his shoulder and Luke rested his head against hers. He took in a deep shaky breath and released it slowly.

"It's getting late," he said when at the same time she opened her mouth and said "I need to tell you something."

"What…?" he asked and he sat up a little straighter sensing the serious tone in her voice.

"I called a divorce lawyer today."

"Oh, how did that go?" he asked, dreading her response. His mind flashed through various scenarios where the court would force her to live with Chris throughout the proceedings.

"Apparently, being in Paris and deciding to get married, does not actually equate to getting married."

"What?" He shook his head to banish his distracting worried and asked her to repeat what she had just said.

"To be married you need to get blood tests, and an official license."

"Didn't you get those in Paris?"

"No," she said and she looked away from his intense gaze. "It was all very last minute, on a whim kinda thing." Lorelai glanced up at him but his frown was too much so she looked away again.

"Didn't you sign anything at the ceremony?"

"I did, but it turned out to be the certificate of marriage, not actually the license."

"So that means…"

"It means that my mother and Christopher were trying to recreate the marriage here in the US, under the pretense of sharing our celebration with friends and family," Lorelai said with a scoff. "When all the while they were simply trying to make it official."

"Official," Luke repeated softly as he leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees.

"As in…"

"As in you're not married."

"Seemingly not."

"Geez…" Luke said and he sat back onto the couch and released a puff of air past his cheeks. "What in the world…"

"All this time I thought I was staying with him to save a marriage because I didn't want add to my ever increasing list of failures."

"Lorelai, don't say that," he said and he rested a hand on her leg reassuringly.

"It's true Luke. I fail. A lot. It's the one thing I consistently succeed at. Failing."

"Stop." He rolled towards her, his shoulder against the back of the couch and he tucked one leg under himself to get it out of the way.

"Anyway, the lawyers said it's not uncommon, there is a disqualification letter I can get for the certificate and that it."

"No inky thumb," he said softly and she looked up at him in surprise.

"Sorry, I didn't mean-"

"I'm glad," he said cutting her off.

"Me too."

"So it's, getting late." he said again but she made no move to leave. "You can stay if you want." He felt her nodding her head against his shoulder. "We don't have to-"

"We do." she tugged on his hand and he looked up at her. "We do." Luke nodded and she leaned forward to kiss him.

Their kiss, what was meant to be soft and simple, soon became heated. Lorelai broke it long enough to put both of their glasses of wine onto the coffee table then gripped his shoulders and turned him to lie on his back on the couch then draped herself over him.

"I thought we were taking it slow," he murmured against her lips.

"Slow kissing."

She brushed his hair back and leaned down to kiss him more. Soft slow kisses across his lips, his cheeks, his jaw, suckled on his lobe and retraced her steps to the other ear. She came back to his mouth and kiss him again, still slow, still soft. His hands were on the top curve of her ass and his thumbs found their way under her top to the heated skin at the small of her back. She moved her body against his and he moaned into her mouth then rolled over so her back was to the couch and they lay side by side. Naturally one of her legs wrapped over his hip and he nestled against her comfortably.

"This feels like more than kissing."

"It feels good though, right?"

"Really good."

"Luke…" she looked up at him and smiled and he waited for her to continue. "I don't want to miss anything with you."

"What do you mean?"

"I want…" She shook her head and one of his hands came up to cup her cheek.

"What do you want Lorelai?" he whispered. "I'll give you anything you want, just ask me."

Lorelai smiled and leaned into him to kiss him again then buried her face into the crook of his neck and hugged him tightly. "I want to stay with you tonight." she said, her words muffled by his shoulder.

"Are you sure?" She nodded her head. "We can just sleep if you want, we don't need to do anything."

"Let's go to bed." she pushed him back and made him fall off the couch then giggled as she rolled over and stepped over him then hurried over towards his bed. Luke watched her go from his vantage point on the floor, moving only when she hopped onto his bed. He sat up and looked across the room at her as she lay back and sprawled across his duvet. Luke got up slowly then with measured steps moved over to where she was and lowered himself on the bed until he hovered over her.

"You are intoxicating." he said and he lowered his head to kiss her neck. Lorelai giggled and tried to pull him down on top of her but he resisted. "You said slow, I want to take this slow."

"Luke," she whined as her hands moved down his chest to grasp his belt buckle but he grabbed her wrists and pulled her hands away then lowered her body to pin her to the bed and moved her wrists high up on the pillow.

"Slow…we're going slow Lorelai."

She nodded her head and he shifted his body to the side to make the buttons on her blouse accessible then as promised, tantalizingly slowly he moved his hand down one by one and opened it. When he could, he moved it aside and looked down at the pale blue bra with the black lace trimming that covered her breasts and he reached up to caress each one, glancing up at her now and then to be sure she was still giving him the permission he desired. Her eyes were half closed over and she arched her back up towards him to press her breasts into his hands but it didn't deter him. He lowered his head and kissed the inside curve of each one, relishing the soft warm skin against his lips for as long as he could without the frantic need to rip off the flimsy material. She whimpered when he moved away but it was to move his hands down to her jeans and unbutton her there. She lifted her ass when he pulled her zipper down and Luke sat up to peel the stiff material down her legs and off her completely.

He stared agape at the matching panties she was wearing and slowly ran his hands up the inside of her legs to her mound, brushed her with his thumbs as he continued to move up, ignoring her soft moans, cupped her breasts then leaned over her again and kissed her. She parted her lips and pressed her tongue into his mouth in an effort to hurry up his antics but he pulled away, nuzzled her head to the side and suckled on the bottom of her neck. Her hands gripped his shoulders then came round to the front to undo the buttons on his shirt enough to pull it off over his head. He leaned up and kneeled over her long enough to yank it off completely and toss it over his shoulder then covered her with his body again. Lorelai gripped him tightly against her, arched her back to press her breasts against his bare chest and panted softly into his ear.

"Oh god I've missed you," he said not realizing he had said it aloud until he heard her soft gasp, then not caring that she had heard because it was the truth. "I missed your lips," he said and he kissed her tenderly. "I missed your neck," he uttered as he moved to the pulse point on her neck and licked it. "I missed your breasts…" he smiled wolfishly at her then lowered his head and kissed the inside of each breast. He moved lower still, his hands holding her in place. "This belly, this warm soft belly that should be studied," he nuzzled her navel then licked the rim and blew cold air over her damp skin. she giggled and squirmed beneath him and held her breath as he moved lower then moved to kneel in between her legs. "These long legs that go all the way up…" He gripped her ankle and lifted one leg to his face to kiss her instep then let his hands caress her leg all the way to the top and just when she thought he was going to caress her core he kneeled up again. Lorelai moaned in frustration but it only made him smile. "Can't forget the other leg."

"That would be leg-ist," she said breathlessly. He brought her other foot up to his face and repeated the same move, this time not moving away when he found his head right where they both wanted him to be.

"But this.."

"Yeah?"she giggled and delighted in the naughty smile he wore.

Luke lifted his head up enough to run his tongue along the band of her panties and she lifted her hips up to meet him but he gently pressed her back into the bed. "I missed this spot right here…" he tugged one side of her panties down and licked the inside crevice of her hip as far as he could reach. "Almost as much as I missed this one…" He did the same on the other side. "But not near as much as I missed this spot…" He tugged the front of her panties down and nuzzled her core with his nose, inhaling her arousal deeply and loving how the aroma tugged on his cock, making it twitch.

"Just so you know," Lorelai said breathlessly. Luke looked up to see her looking at him with a crooked smile. "It missed you too." he matched her smile then lowered his head and slowly but firmly pressed his tongue between her folds to caress her most sensitive nub making her cry out and her hips buck beneath him. Luke could stand no more of the teasing and he pulled her panties all the way down, loathing to step away from her even for the few seconds it took to rid her of them. He quickly returned to his spot and this time made no qualms about where he wanted to be. His hands cupped her ass and lifted her up to him as his tongue ran the very length of her, flat at first along her folds then pointed as he slipped between them and caressed her from within. Lorelai came hard, surprising them both with the speed and ferocity of her orgasm as she bucked beneath him and he tried his damnedest to keep her still.

"Oh god," she moaned as he licked her slowly, pulling her down from her high to settle on his bed, a molten puddle of warmth. He crawled over her and hovered above her, lay down to kiss her lips, catch the tail end of her panting and smiled.

"You ok?" he asked, trying not to smile as wide as his pride wanted to make him.

"That…took me by surprise."

"Both of us."

"So much for slow," she said with a giggle and she wrapped her arms around him to pull him down onto her fully.

"Well I'm not quite done with you yet," he murmured into her neck as his tongue came out to lick her trembling skin. His hands which were around her back undid her bra and came around to her front to pull it off her.

"Why Mr Danes, I do declare!"

Luke hushed her by taking one breast gruffly in one hand and the suckled the nipple of the other into his mouth making her gasp and lose her words. He switched it up and she ran her hands down his back to slip into the gap at the back of his jeans so her nails could scrape the top of his ass, encouraging him to press his erection into her. When he did she moaned against his ear and he pressed into her again.

"Lose the jeans."

"Yes ma'am."

Luke rolled off her and undid his jeans then struggled to take them off until he got off the bed and shucked them entirely. He stood next to the bed and looked down at her in his boxers and she pointed at them. "Those too."

One side of his lips curled up in a smile as he hooked his thumbs into the sides and pulled them down then kicked them aside and turned back to face her. Her eyes roamed over him appreciatively and she reached out to him with both hands to beckon him closer. Luke didn't hesitate to crawl up over her and covered her whole body with his. He was strong and heavy but she found it comforting as his arms engulfed her and his lips found the pulse point in her neck. But just as he started to move his hips against her she got this sudden feeling of being trapped. She pulled her arms out to the sides to grip the duvet and immediately Luke noticed a change in her demeanor. He lifted his head up and looked down at her with a frown, her tight expression made him stop moving.

"Lorelai?"

"It's ok, keep going."

"No, Lorelai, what's wrong?" He leaned even further back then rolled off her and propped himself up next to her.

"Sorry, I just felt a little…suffocated there."

"Oh god, I'm sorry!" He said and his hand rested on her stomach while the other brushed her hair back from her face.

"Forget it, come back to me." She tried to pull him back but he resisted.

"No, Lorelai, stop!" He pulled his arm away from her grip to stop her from tugging him back into place.

"Luke, I'm fine!"

"Lorelai I think-"

"No, don't think!" she pushed him onto his back and before he could stop her she straddled his hips. "Please don't stop what we're doing. This is what I want, this is what I need!" she rolled her hips against him, trapping his cock against her wet crotch and rubbing it in slow tight strokes. "Don't let him win."

Her words shot through him and he sat bolt upright. "Is that what this is?" he said, gripping her upper arms tighter than he meant to. "A revenge fuck?"

"Luke, No!" she tried to stop him but he lifted her off his lap and placed her onto the bed then climbed off the other side and quickly grabbed a pair of sweats from the chair in the corner. He pulled them on and only then turned to face her. "Luke, it's not like that, that's not what I meant."

"Tell me Lorelai, tell me what you mean…"

"I'm scared."

"Scared?" His voice had lost all the anger but he still stayed off the bed and away from her.

"Scared that I won't find my way back."

"Lorelai, please…" he implored as he covered his face with both hands. "No more riddles, tell me what you want!"

"YOU!" she shouted and she kneeled up on the bed, oblivious to her nakedness. "I want you god dammit." She slapped her balled up fists against her thighs. "I've always wanted you, Only you. And he knew it. Everyone knew it!" hot tears stung her eyes but she rubbed them away with the back of her hands. "So he took you from me. He hurt me in a way that will always be with me, especially when I'm with you." Her voice cracked with emotion but she refused to look away from him, refused to stop fighting for him. "I feel trapped and scared, I am suffocating under the pressure of trying to ignore what he did, push it away so I can be with you but it's there, always there. When you touch me, when you kiss me, when you lie over me. So when I say that I don't want to let him win, I mean that I need you to win, I need you to fight through this with me, for me, so that he won't matter any more and all that will be left is you. I need this Luke, I need you."

Luke stood stock still listening to her, his anger flared and subsided with equal intensity and by the time she stopped talking his heart was hammering in his chest, pumping blood through his ears in an erratic rhythm. He reached for her and pulled her into his arms, held her against him, with one hand cradling her head, the other around her waist. She cried openly on his shoulder and he swayed side to side until she was done. When finally her sobbing stopped and her breathing was steady he gently lay her back, tugged the duvet out from under her then stripped out of his sweats and climbed in beside her. She spooned back against him and he nestled her in as close as he could then kissed the back of her head and reached back to switch off the light.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N** : Wow...killer delay on this chapter. My apologies! I was in Italy for a while with really shitty internet connection. Nevertheless. Here ya go. I may or may not add an epilogue but this as it stands is the ending.

* * *

Friday morning Luke turned off his alarm before she woke up and he was showered and dressed when she rolled over with a soft groan. He came back from the kitchen and sat on the end of the bed as she came to.

"You're up, and dressed."

"Early start with the diner."

"I should get up."

"Stay a while, I'll bring you up breakfast in a couple of hours."

"Pancakes?" she said with a smile.

"Sure."

"Okay, you convinced me."

Luke kissed her forehead as she snuggled back into his bed then left to go down to the diner. Lorelai must have fallen asleep pretty quickly because it seemed like minutes later when he reappeared with a small stack of pancakes and a glass of orange juice.

"Breakfast in bed?" she said as he carried the tray over. "You're really spoiling me."

"Don't get too used to it."

"Boo!" she said and swatted his arm as she cut off a bite size amount of the pancakes and ate it.

"Rory is home today right?"

"Yep. Meeting her at the airport after lunch."

"And you guys are having christmas this weekend?"

"Yeah, with the tree and everything."

"Oh right, that'll be nice." He scuffed his toe on the corner of the bed side locker and focused on the worn carpet that no longer showed the pattern is used to.

"Whats going on here?" she asked as she narrowed her eyes at him and waved her fork in a menacing fashion.

"What? Nothing." he said quickly. Too quickly, she noted.

"What? Tell me what's going on under that cap of yours."

"I was just seeing if you were busy this weekend, if I might get to see you is all."

"See me?"

"Yeah. And maybe take you out."

"Like on a date?"

"Yeah."

"To where?"

"I dunno…" he scuffed his toe against the locker some more and chanced a glance up at her. "I heard there was a ball on at the square."

Lorelai gasped as the words came out of his mouth and her fork slipped out of her hand and clattered on her plate loudly. She never dreamed in a million years that he would be asking her to the ball. Hell even if they had been in a full blown relationship it would have taken about a week of cajoling to get him to agree to go to any town event. And now, here he was, nervously asking her is she would go with him. "Are you asking me out to the ball?" she said as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"I was thinking about it."

"Thinking huh."

"But I guess you'll be busy with Rory."

"Not that busy."

"So you want to go?"

"With you?"

"Yes, with me." He rolled her eyes.

"And me, you and me will go to the ball." He nodded. "Together."

"Lorelai!"

"What! I'm just trying to be clear so there will be no confusion."

"Yes, You and me will go to the ball, together, like a date, because it will be a date." He mouth opened but before she could ask he covered her lips with two fingers. "And yes, I'll wear a suit."

"A tux?"

"A suit." He frowned. She stared at him, her mouth agape, her eyes wide. "So, is that a yes?" She nodded her head, still unable to believe that he had asked her. "Close your mouth Lorelai, you'll trap flies." He curled his fingers under her chin and closed it for her then leaned in to press a kiss against her pursed lips. "I gotta get back down there." He stood up and shucked his jeans. "You going into work before picking up Rory?" She nodded. "Will you guys be in later?" Lorelai nodded again and Luke smiled. It wasn't often he left her speechless, so when he did, he enjoyed it. "Okay, well see you later then."

He turned and went out of the door and it wasn't until she heard his steps go down the stairs did she release the breath she was holding with a deep and excited laugh. Lorelai finished her breakfast and dressed quickly. She hurried home and went to work then left at lunch to pick up Rory. At the gate they both ran to each other screaming for joy, hugging, tears, and laughter made them the centre of attention of everyone else at that gate but neither of them cared. They walked to the car with their arms locked together and once in the jeep on the open road Rory started to ask about her father.

Lorelai had battled over and over about what to say to Rory when she asked, not wanting to taint her against her father but at the same time, not wanting to lie. she had decided against outright telling her what had happened but also decided if Rory had figured it out, though she doubted she would ever guess it, then she would not lie. She told them they fought and it was irreconcilable so they split up. She explained how her mother was trying her damnedest to get them back together but she was adamant that it was over. Rory seemed to take this explanation easier than Lorelai thought and for a few moments as they drove in silence she wondered if her daughter didn't already know they were not meant to be.

As they crossed the border into Stars hollow Rory clapped her hands with glee. "Can we go to Luke's for food? I'm dying for a cheeseburger!"

"Don't they have them in London?"

"Not like they do here."

Lorelai smiled as she parked up across the square from Luke's but before Rory could get out of the car she tugged on her daughter's arm. "Before we go in, I want to tell you something." Lorelai glanced over at the diner and smiled at the image of Luke fighting with Kirk. "Luke and I…me and Luke…well you see…"

"Mom…" Rory covered her mother's hand with her own. "You and Luke are trying again?"

"Yeah. Kinda."

"Kinda?"

"I mean yes, we are." She said more forcefully. "Is that ok?"

"Was this…was he…the reason you and dad split?"

"No!" Lorelai said vehemently. "Nothing happened with Luke until after Christopher left. Nothing."

"Okay, okay…" Rory patted her mother's hand. "I think it's wonderful. You know I really care for Luke."

"I know. Me too."

"I know that as well. I'm happy for you. For both of you."

"Good." She opened the door and climbed out then met Rory on the sidewalk and they linked arms again. "It's great to have you back kid."

"Great to be back."

They walked through the square arm in arm more for the connection than protection against the cold and when they reached the diner Lorelai held the door open and ushered Rory in before following her close behind. They both stomped their feet on the floor to rid the excess snow then grabbed a table by the heater and snuggled close.

Luke, who watched them cross the square kept his head low until they were seated and giggling then grabbed the coffee pot and two mugs and casually, as casually as he could, strolled over. He put both mugs onto the table and poured out their coffee.

"Welcome back Rory. How was London?"

"Cold."

"Colder than Connecticut?"

"No, but a different cold. It was a wet cold, damp, and it got everywhere!"

Luke arched an eyebrow and grabbed his order pad from the front of his jeans. "You guys eating?"

"Yep!" Rory said and she leaned forward on the table. "I want a cheeseburger. With the works. Don't hold anything back!"

"Fries?"

"Chilli fries!" she said with a grin. "With cheese!" she added waving her hand at his notepad to be sure he took it down.

"Okay, I got it." He looked over at Lorelai who was strangely quiet. "How about you? Hungry?" She arched a questioning eyebrow at him. "Sorry, stupid question. What'll it be."

"Cheeseburger."

"Works?" Lorelai nodded. "Chilli fries?" She nodded again. Luke rolled his eyes, tucked his notepad away and grabbed the coffee pot then turned and went into the kitchen.

"He's adorable when he's mad at us," Rory said as she lifted her drink and sipped it.

"He's just adorable." Lorelai said and she looked after him with a wistful smile on her face.

"So, you want to really tell me what happened with Dad?"

"I told you."

"What was the fight over?" Rory probed gently. Lorelai picked up her drink and held it in front of her face. She closed her eyes against the steam then sipped it, and looked at Rory who was waiting patiently for her response.

"We fought Rory. We were always fighting. It's always been like that with us."

"You always fight with Luke." Rory said pointedly. "Is it going to be like that with him too?"

Lorelai looked over at the kitchen where she could barely make out Luke as he moved about in there making their dinner. She shook her head and smiled then turned back to her daughter who was looking on with concern etched in her features.

"No, with Luke it's totally different."

"Mom?" Rory said after a moment when they had been sitting in silence.

"Hmm?" Lorelai sipped her coffee and looked up at Rory who was watching her with wide eyes.

"Tell me what happened?"

Lorelai stared at Rory and just then she realised that she knew. She knew what had happened, she knew why Chris had left.

"Did you talk to Sookie?"

"Jackson."

Lorelai frowned then remembered how worried Sookie was after she had told her. She imagined she had talked to her husband that night and it didn't take a detective to break the rest down. Lorelai averted her eyes to hide her tears from her daughter then they fell over her long lashes and pale cheeks. Rory came off her chair, kneeled beside her mother and engulfed her into a tight hug. Her own tears spilled out through her eyes that were screwed tightly shut and Lorelai lost the power to hold anything back.

Luke came out of the kitchen and spotted them. He immediately deposited the sandwich he was holding onto the counter and crossed the room over to them in a few easy strides. "Watch out Rory," he said softly as he guided her back from her mother then with his arms around Lorelai, he all but picked her up and walked her through the diner. Rory grabbed their coats and bags and hurried after Luke who had taken her up to his apartment. He was gently putting her onto the couch when Rory reappeared at his side and sat down next to him.

"Stay up here as long as you like." he muttered and Rory smiled up at him with watery eyes. Luke nodded then returned to the diner. Rory placed an arm around her mother's shoulders and gently rocked her from side to side as she whispered soothing noises and stroked her hair. Her mother's tears were silent but steady and it was a long time before they started to slow and eventually stop.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Rory whispered when he mother sat back and covered her face with both hands.

"I didn't want you to know this, about me, about Chris." Lorelai let out a mirthless laugh. "I didn't want to admit it was real."

"Tell me what happened."

"Oh Rory, I don't know…"

"Mom, tell me."

Lorelai took a deep breath and sat back into the soft leather of Luke's couch. Slowly, carefully, thinking for long silent moments about her words as she spoke she explained what happened. Rory remained silent throughout and Lorelai wondered if she believed her. She explained how Chris came back to the house after, how he had brought her mother the second time and Rory simply nodded, her mouth a grim line.

"I called Luke." Lorelai said eventually. "He has been amazing."

"He always was." Rory admitted softly but before they could continue talking there was a soft knock on the door and it opened up. Luke walked in carrying a tray of food and coffee. He came over to the coffee table and put the food down. "Speak of the devil."

"I thought you guys might be hungry," he said with a shrug as he stood up and slipped his hands into his back pockets. "I'll leave you to it."

"Thanks Luke," Lorelai called after him.

He offered her a smile and a half wave as he left and Lorelai couldn't help but smile back. Rory and Lorelai ate in relative silence. They talked about London and the inn, they talked about the lack of divorce, the restraining order. Lorelai tried to keep her voice steady but overtime as Rory looked at her she felt her heart breaking all over again. Rory tried not to show her anger but it was so near the surface that she was sure it was plain on her face.

"Why-"

"I don't want to go to the police."

"Mom."

"Rory, I'm not going to talk about it."

"You need to talk about it."

"Not to the police."

"Or me apparently!"

"Rory-"

"Mom! No!" Rory shouted and she brushed her mother's hands off her lap and stood up to begin pacing the room. She crossed her arms over her chest as she picked up some pace. "You need to talk about this. You should have gone to the police, the doctor, but you should definitely go to a professional."

Lorelai dropped her hands between her knees and hung her head low as her daughter crossed the room over and back in front of her. Rory words stung, more so because she knew she was right. But she didn't have the energy to fight back. That fight was gone out of her. Rory talked about the different ways of handling the situation. How to handle her parents, how to handle Chris but the more she talked and the less Lorelai responded, the slower and slower her ranting became. Until finally she stopped.

Rory ended up in the middle of the kitchen area, her back to her mother and her arms hanging loosely by her sides. Slowly she turned on her heel and faced the couch only to find Lorelai watching her with watery eyes and fallen features. Within seconds she crossed the room and they engulfed in a tight hug that all but cut off the air they needed to breathe. And this was how Luke found them.

The diner closed and he went through his clean up routine with a speed he didn't often possess. He took the stairs up to his apartment in twos and threes and only hesitated when he got to the door. He lifted his hand to the handle then hesitated. He moved his hand to knock his knuckles against the glass and hesitated again. Luke took a deep breath, hitched his jeans up and puffed the air out of his cheeks then grabbed the handle and slowly pushed the door open. he peered around it and spied them both on the couch. Lorelai lay across it with her head in Rory's lap and Rory was draped over her mother and stroked her hair back from her face.

As he approached Rory looked up and offered him a wan smile. She sat up a little and urged him to come closer. Luke perched himself on the edge of the couch and gingerly reached out to rest a hand on Lorelai's shoulder.

"You guys doing ok?"

Rory nodded. She looked down at her mother then back up to Luke. "We will be anyway."

"Shall I take you home?" Rory nodded.

Luke helped Lorelai up and guided her down to his truck and Rory brought home the jeep. He all but carried her into the house and led her up to her room and was pulling the duvet back when Rory came in.

"Oh, sorry, I'll leave you to it." He squeezed Lorelai shoulder and stepped back but Rory grabbed his arm and stopped him from leaving.

"Stay Luke." She said softly and she pulled him back to stand beside the bed where Lorelai was sitting. "She needs you."

"You…are you sure?"

"Yes. Please stay."

Luke looked down at Rory's pleading eyes and over to Lorelai's shrunken form and nodded. Rory squeezed his arm, leaned over and kissed her mother's cheek then slowly left the room. For a moment Luke didn't move. He heard Rory move about down stairs, and after a moment more of silence he turned to Lorelai. Slowly he helped her undress and guided her back into the bed then quickly finished his routine in the bathroom and joined her. He left his shirt and jeans in a pile at the end of the bed and climbed in then tugged her curling body close to his. He cradled her head on his chest and made sure her whole body was pressed against his, from head to toe. He kissed her head, whispered soothing words into her hair and stroked her body until her sleep claimed her.

In the morning Lorelai woke up surrounded by a soft warmth. One of her legs was caught between two of his. Her arms encircled his waist and her head rested on the front of his shoulder. She felt his arms hold her close. One around her back, the other holding her torso against his. His chin rested on the top of her head and the soothing rise and fall of his chest matched hers. She kissed his chest and tilted her head to look up at him. He slowly blinked and watched her behind long lashes as her eyes adjusted and she focused on his face. As a small smile curled her lips her hand came up to caress his cheek and her eyes watered.

"Hey now," Luke whispered and he rubbed her cheek with his thumb. "Don't."

"Sorry."

Luke pushed himself up on his elbow and leaned over her. "Don't apologize Lorelai." He wiped her eyes. "Everything that's happening now, everything you are going through, is not going to beat you. You're too strong."

"I'm not strong."

"Lorelai…" Luke scoffed with a small laugh. "You are the strongest person I know." He kissed her forehead. "You've done so much with your life. You've gotten so far. This will not beat you."

She looked up at him and fresh tears fell from her eyes. She blinked rapidly to try to get rid of them but he leaned down and kissed her closed eyes. Moved his lips against her cheeks and kissed his way down to her jaw, over to her earlobe and gently suckled on the velvety skin before moving across to her other ear and repeated the motion. Eventually his lips found hers and with a slow sensual rhythm he kissed her thoroughly, carefully parted her lips and slipped his tongue in to caress hers.

Her hands moved up his chest to his shoulders and she gripped him closer, opened her mouth up wider and arched her back to press her chest against his. She moved his head aside and kissed her way across his jaw to his neck, gently biting the steadying pulse she felt there and relished in the soft guttural moan she felt him emit. "Luke…" she gasped as she arched her back again and he responded with his hips.

"Lorelai, wait…" He pushed her back into the bed and hovered above her. She looked up at him with nothing but desire in her eyes and he waited a moment more. Their eyes connected, and with a fleeting smile Lorelai nodded her head just enough for Luke to drown his hesitation. He leaned down and kissed her tenderly. Lorelai responded with some urgency but he ignored her, and kept the maddeningly slow pace of his lips moving against hers.

He moved his hand down her sides and slowly drew them up her thigh under her tee shirt. He gripped her hip tightly letting one finger slip under the band of her panties and she rolled her hips towards him but he held her at bay and continued his hands journey up her side to her chest. Gingerly he cupped her breast as his tongue still found new depths in her mouth. She responded with a soft sigh and just melted against him. Luke pushed her tee shirt higher and she lifted her arms to allow him to pull it off. She left her arms hung over her head thinking he would push up her bra too but he had other ideas. Luke cupped her breast and kissed her neck, she rolled her hips towards him and only then did he reciprocate by rolling his own towards her. His fingers found the band of her bra and slowly he pushed it up over her breasts then captured one nipple in his mouth as his hand cupped the other breast.

Lorelai moaned and arched her back towards him then when his hips connected with hers, his hard ridge pressing into her crevice, she gasped his name out causing him to release her nipple and look up at her. He took in a sharp breath when she rolled her hips towards him again and she opened her eyes to see him looking down at her. "Say it again."

A ghost of a smile crossed her lips. "Luke," she said, breathless.

His lips curved into a predatory smile and Lorelai couldn't help the breathy laugh when he recaptured her other breast in his mouth. Lorelai squirmed against him and the leg that was nestled between his moved to caress his groin and Luke moaned against her breast at the sensation that coursed through him. He tugged on her bra and she lifted her arms and shoulders for him to take it off her. Then his hand moved down to her waist and slowly pulled her panties down until she needed to lift her ass up then he pushed off the mattress away from her and pulled them off her completely.

"And these," she said and she snapped the band of his boxer briefs against his hip. "While you're up, so to speak," she said with a smirk as she eyed the tented fabric below his waist. Luke didn't hesitate and he kicked his underwear off then came back to hover over her again. His hands were either side of her head and his arms were locked so there was plenty of space between them. He looked at her face, watched her for any sign of hesitation, any sign that she wanted him to move away as he slowly lowered his body to rest against her. Lorelai sighed with relief as she felt his warm soft skin engulf her and she wrapped her arms around his shoulders to hold him in place once he was fully on top of her.

"Lorelai…is this ok?"

"Luke, this is more than ok." she moved her legs to encircle his hips and they both groaned at the sensation of their bodies connected even this much.

"Just say the word…"

"Any word?" she said with a crooked smile."

"Lorelai I-"

"Luke," She cupped his face with both hands and pulled him down for a kiss then pushed him away enough to look into his eyes. "I want this." She kissed him again. "I want you."

"I want you too." She gripped his hips with her thighs a little tighter and his cock which was rested against her folds felt her clench against him, causing him to groan and push his hips against her. "Oh shit…"

"I want you," she said again, her voice whispered and breathy against his ear and it was all Luke could do not to pull back and pound into her right then. He lifted his hips and felt his tip press against her folds then left enough space between them to reach his hands down and guide himself to her entrance.

"Lorelai," he uttered through gritted teeth and she squeezed his thighs against him as he slowly pushed into her. "I'm here with you…" he said his words coming out but not quite sure if she understood.

"I'm here too Luke," she said and she rolled her hips towards him to make him go deeper. They both groaned at the sensation, the familiarity, the calm but wild desire that came with the feeling of being entirely secure. He pushed in right to the hilt of his cock and dropped his entire weight onto her as he held still in an effort to save his dignity. She gripped his shoulders, sank her teeth into his skin then pushed his hips with her own and he drew right back.

They found a slow soft rhythm and Luke did his very best to keep it up but there was a pressure that had been building up in his very core for a long time. Too long. He tried not to speed up, tried not to stroke harder and harder into her but her soft moans, her fingers gripping his back, her lips and teeth connecting with his shoulder all cumulated into tingling ripples that covered his whole body, until finally he felt her inner walls pulse against his cock and her breathless pants against his ear, he lost all his resolve. He lifted up with one arm, gripped her hip and pushed into her two more times before finally allowing himself to release his control and come hard and hot inside her.

Lorelai rode the wave of his release and gripped him tighter as he pumped into her then held him against her when he collapsed on top of her. She kissed his cheek and rubbed his back as his breathing came back to normal rate and when he lifted his head to look at her she captured his lips in a searing kiss. Luke responded immediately. He cupped her head and lifted it towards him to deepen the kiss and make sure they stayed as connected as possible and just as he softened the kiss and started to pull away she flexed her inner muscles which were still engulfing his cock, he grunted and reflexively pushed into her.

"Lorelai…" he said with a breathless chuckle. "I-"

"I love you, Luke," she said quickly. Luke pulled away from her a little and looked down at her with a small frown. "I love you," she said again, this time more determination and focus in her voice.

"Lorelai," he said but before he could continue she cupped his face and kissed him again but he broke the kiss and leaned back. "You love me." It wasn't a question, merely a statement and just when she felt a frown creasing her brow a slow languid smile curved his lips and he started to laugh. He dropped his head and buried it in her neck as his arms circled her and held her tightly against him.

"You're laughing?" she swatted his shoulder but all he did was hold her tighter. He kissed her neck where it met her shoulder and lifted his head up enough to kiss her cheek.

"I'm not laughing, I'm...in love." he said simply and she smiled.

"You are?"

"Yes Lorelai."

She smiled. "With me?"

"Yes Lorelai."

They both shared relieved smiles and kissed for a long moment, separating only to breathe. When she opened her mouth and licked his lips Luke responded by slipping his tongue in and circling her warm wet heat. She responded by flexing around him again and he moaned into her mouth.

"You gotta stop doing that," he muttered against her lips.

"I never want to stop doing that," she chuckled.

"Well, you need to," He looked over at the clock. "Rory will be up soon and I want to make you guys breakfast."

"Pancakes?"

"Whatever you want."

Lorelai flexed her inner muscles around him again and Luke slowly closed his eyes over and his hips pushed into her reflexively.

"With chocolate chips?" she flexed again this time arching her back too to press her breasts against him.

"Lorelai…" His hand moved down to grip her hip and push her into the bed but when he tried to move back from her his hips betrayed his desire and sank back into her.

Lorelai grinned with delight as she felt him harden inside her and his eyes screwed tightly shut as he tried his damndest to resist the power of his own desire. Her lips came up to his ear and she bit his lobe as her panting breaths spurred him on.

"Don't wait for me Luke…"

"Lorelai," he uttered between gritted teeth. Her hands gripped his back and one went down to his ass to urge him on,

"You feel amazing." Her whispered words shot through him right to his cock and he twitched against her as his hips pushed into her and he slid in deeper. Immediately he lifted his head up to see if she was ok but her eyes were closed and she was biting her bottom lip in what he hoped was ecstasy. "Again," she moaned and he pushed into her this time with more intention. She opened her eyes to find him staring at her with an intensity she hadn't seen in a long time.

"I love you," he whispered feeling a sense of relief at letting those words pass his lips when they had been swirling around in his head for so long.

A whisper of a smile crossed her lips before she lifted her head up to kiss him gently, a complete contrast to the connection she felt from his cock as his urgency increased. She gripped his ass tighter, arched her back into him and flexed around him.

"Oh, god, Lorelai…" His words spilled out as his hips sped up as he lost the thin thread of control he had and pressed into her harder.

"Yes, Luke, don't stop," she whispered as her legs tightened around his waist to keep them connected as his frenzied thrusts pushed her into her bed.

"Tell me," he said, "Tell me again."

"I love you Luke," she said, knowing exactly what he wanted to hear and before she finished the second word she felt his cock spasm inside her triggering her own release.

"Oh god yes," he panted as his hips continued to move albeit slower and with more deliberation as he circled his hips and grinded against her clit to ensure her wave hit all the right spots.

She convulsed around him and he simply sunk into her, dropping his whole weight on top of her and she welcomed it. After a moment when he caught his breath, Luke lifted his head from the crook of her shoulder and kissed her neck. He slipped her arms around her and rolled over onto his back so she was now lying on top of him then he let out a long deep sigh of contentment as one hand brushed gentle strokes up and down her spine and the other caressed the curve of her ass.

After a few moments of silence Luke was sure she was asleep so when he lifted his head to look down at her he was surprised to see her looking up at him with a simple smile.

"You ok?"

"Ok?" she chuckled then lifted her head and dropped it onto her hands that she connected on his chest. "I"m doing a bit better than just ok."

"A bit?"

"A lot."

"Good."

"Though…"

"What?" Momentary panic fluttered across his face and both hands stilled against her skin.

"You mentioned something about pancakes."

Luke snorted with relieved laughter.

"I did."

"Was that just an empty promise to get to sleep with me?"

"I believe that was after the sleeping so if it was an empty promise, it was a bit late."

"So you're saying there will be pancakes."

"There will." his hands resumed their previous pattern of strokes and she sighed.

"Good."

"I don't suppose you have any of the ingredients I need here."

"Probably not."

"Then I should get up and grab them so I can make you and Rory breakfast."

"That would be the prudent thing to do."

He waited for her to roll off him but she made no move to do so. "Get off me woman so I can do some hunting and gathering."

Lorelai laughed and he took the opportunity to grip her against him and roll her over onto her back then pull away and step off the bed. "Hey!" she protested as he walked across the room to the bathroom, scooping up his boxers as he went.

"Hush, you'll wake Rory."

"I think if the last bout of sex didn't wake her, a marching band wouldn't wake her!" she called out to him half sitting up to be sure he heard

"Geez, hush will you!"

Lorelai laughed and fell back onto the pillows not bothering to cover herself up. "I can feel you blushing from here. Hurry up, I want my pancakes!"

"Hush!" he came out of the bathroom and she saw the traces of his fading blush as he grabbed his clothing and quickly dressed. "And cover yourself up, you're making it hard-"

"Already? Great recovery Danes."

"Hard to focus, was what I was going to say." he sat on the edge of the bed and pulled the sheet up around her, trapping her arms beneath it. "I can't believe I'm leaving a warm bed with a half naked willing Lorelai Gilmore lying in it." He whispered as he leaned down and pecked her lips softly.

"But it's for a good cause."

"Chocolate chip pancakes is hardly a good cause."

"Me. I'm you're good cause."

Luke smiled at the simple statement and kissed her gently again. "You're my only cause." Lorelai beamed up at him and he shook his head. He never really knew how she got him all worked up and admitting silly notions but he also never minded either. "Okay, I'll be back in about 20 minutes with the ingredients."

"And the coffee."

"Of course the coffee." He stood turned away from her to slip on his shoes and Lorelai wasted no time in sitting up to lean against his back. "You'll um… be up when I get back?" he said over his shoulder when he finished with his laces and patted the hands she connected on his chest.

"Up, showered and dressed."

"Ok." He brought one hand up and kissed her fingers then turned and stood. "I'll be back in a while."

Lorelai winked and tossed herself back onto the bed in a way that let him know she would be jumping out of bed to hastily pull on random clothing when he returned. He closed the door softly behind him and carefully made his way downstairs only to find Rory sitting on the couch in her PJs sipping a coffee and reading the paper.

"Oh, morning Rory, you're up early."

"Jet lag from London I think,"

"I hope I didn't wake you…" he said but his words faded off as he realised she might well have heard everything that had just happened in Lorelai's room.

"No, I was reading in my room for a while then I came out just now to make coffee." She sipped her coffee again then placed the cup onto the coffee table. "How is she feeling?"

"She's...doing ok." Luke scratched the back of his neck. "She's strong you know."

"I know," Rory said with a smile and she nodded slowly. "You make her strong."

"Me? No, she was strong before me."

"Then you make her stronger." Luke blushed and scuffed his toe on the worn carpet of the first step. Rory let him stew in her compliment for a moment then decided to offer him a lifeline. "So you're making pancakes?"

"Yep, I just need to pop out and grab some ingredients."

"Great!"

"I'll be back in about 20 minutes."

"Thank Luke." Without much warning, Rory got up from the couch and took the three small steps to stand before him then gripped his shoulders and pulled him down to kiss his cheek. She hugged him tightly then pushed him away and quickly disappeared into her room.

Luke stood frozen for a moment then shook his head and hurried out to his truck. He was halfway to the diner before he realised Rory must have heard Lorelai talking about pancakes when they were in the bedroom and his face burned with mortification at the thought of her hearing them have sex.

He let out a small chuckle and tried to dismiss his dread as he gathered the necessary ingredients and equipment from the diner. He set up a pot of coffee to brew then hurried upstairs for a shower and a change of clothes. He poured the coffee into a large thermos then climbed back into his truck and gunned the engine.

Fake Christmas morning with the Gilmore girls. He would make them chocolate chip pancakes, feed them the coffee they so coveted, watch whatever Christmas movies it is they wanted as she shovelled candy and popcorn into their mouths. He would offer up a token protest so they would know he cared about their well being but ultimately he would drive to dooseys for a restock when they needed it, then he would take Lorelai to the new year's ball in the square and dance every dance she wanted to dance as long as it meant he could hold her in his arms. And tonight he would climb into bed with her without hesitation, without a black cloud of dismay hanging over both of them and he would hold her whole body against his as a new year dawned and they would start again.

Luke gripped the wheel tighter as his reverie faded and he glanced over at his packages to be sure they were secure then pulled out onto the road and made his way back to Lorelai. Where he belonged.


End file.
